Federal Artificial Intelligence
by Charmkeeper
Summary: AU 'Fye' is tired of being used by the government, but in order to get away from them he has to do a couple more jobs for them. Who will he meet along the way? How will these people change his life's path? Kuro/Fye
1. Chapter 1

A//N: New story time!

I feel like I'm forgetting something very important that I meant to put in this chapter, but I cannot think of it for the world! It annoys me so much. Watch now, I'll post this first chapter and the moment I hit submit I'll remember.

Anyway, this story came from one the first reviews I got for another story where I made Kurogane a mage. The review asked me: "Is Fai a ninja?" Well...no he wasn't in that story and he isn't in this story either, but what he is in this story is as close to a ninja as I can picture Fai.

I've also noticed that this plot has pretty much completely one-eightied since I started writing it. I started off with a very_ "Devil May Cry"_ type of plot and now it's a very _"E's Otherwise"_ kind of plot... ((if you don't know what those things are...don't worry about it.)) Only one thing stayed the same since I started thinking about it until now!

Another thing you might notice is that the characters will seem fairly out of character this chapter...especially Fai/Fye...and speaking of Fai/Fye I spell his name differently in this story than I usually do because of the acronym...

Anyway I'm going to stop ranting now. Read and review...and hopefully enjoy.

* * *

_Two young men walked up a flight of stairs. They walked past women leaning on the wall smoking, and men drinking beside them. They walked into a hall with many doors on either side, until at last they stopped in front of a door that read '473.'_

_Both the men were good looking, but in very different ways. One was blond and had a pair of bright blue eyes the color of sapphires. He was tall and thin, his face pretty, but still obviously a man's face despite the air of girlishness he seemed to give off. The other had black hair and red eyes the color of blood. He was even taller than the blond and seemed to have a bit more meat to him, even though he was still pretty lean._

_The both of them looked to be nineteen or twenty at the most. They also both looked around at the other people in the hallway critically. At last the black haired man spoke. "Are you sure about staying here?"_

_"Of course I'm sure Kuro-chan! It's cheaper than other hotels and if you remember my dorm is off limits until tomorrow because of a bug infestation. It's only one night,and I'll be going to visit my parents and brother tomorrow."_

_The black haired man sighed and placed his hand gently on the other's face. "When will you be back Yuui?"_

_The blond smiled and leaned into the touch, closing his eyes gently, "In a week. It's holiday..."_

_"I know..."_

_"You should come with me Kuro-chan!" Yuui's hands went up to 'Kuro-chan's' neck as he absent-mindedly played with his collar. "I mean...you don't have any parents to visit...no family..."_

_"I'm going to stay with Tomoyo. You remember her? She's the daughter of my father's friend."_

_Yuui wrapped his arms completely around the man's neck now and pulled it down to his level before placing a gentle kiss there as the other's hand left his face and rested at his waist. "Hmm...All right, if you'd rather stay with her than me. I promise I'll bring you back lots of my mother's cooking Kuro-chan. You won't be hungry for at least two weeks. She always overcooks."_

_"Sounds great...I miss you already Yuui. You better not be gone too long." He growled the last part out giving the blond a serious look._

_Yuui laughed, "I won't..unless you make it seem like a week is too long."_

_"I probably will." The black haired man shivered as two women walked past them. "Are you sure you don't want to stay with me tonight? Or me stay with you?"_

_"As wonderful as that sounds, I'm sure Kurogane." Yuui did one of his rare stunts of calling his lover by his full name as he kissed his cheek. "I'm sure I'll be fine and I have a lot to do before tomorrow."_

_Kurogane sighed. "All right...take that video camera of yours with you. I want to see how closely you and your brother look alike."_

_"And what is my brother's name?"_

_"Fye."_

_"Good. You remembered."_

_"It's important to you. Of course I remembered." Their lips touched before Kurogane pulled back. "Sleep well Yuui. I'll see you in a week. Have a good time."_

_Yuui smiled brightly back at Kurogane as he opened the door. "I will. You do the same." He went inside and closed the door. _

_Kurogane stared at the door for a long minute before he knocked on it and it was opened again. "Yes Kuro-chan?"_

_"I love you."_

_The smile slid off Yuui's face for a moment before it came back in a brighter, truer fashion. "I love you too. I'm very pleased that the feeling is mutual." They both stared at each other for a moment as if waiting for something to happen, but it didn't and the door clicked shut again and Kurogane walked out of the grungy hotel._

* * *

Two young men walked up a flight of stairs. They walked past women leaning on the wall smoking and men drinking beside them. They walked into a hall with many doors on either side, until at last they stopped in front of a door that read '337.' 

From within the room came the sound of a T.V. playing something on a quiet volume that just barely reached through the doors. One of the men fidgeted as he stared at it. "Are you sure he's here? Are you sure he'll help us? Are you sure that he's still alive in there and the T.V. isn't just playing on repeat or something?"

"Of course I'm sure. Remember what I told you? Number 685 wasn't a true Federal Artificial Intelligence. He was taken in after he became suicidal in his former life and had his mind overwritten so that he had powers like an F.A.I. and thought like a F.A.I. After all, the true ones mostly became suicidal anyway, and he was suicidal before, so if it happened again it was no big loss. Luckily, it hasn't happened yet. Even though all the others are either mass murderers or they killed themselves, he hasn't. We think it's because he wants to uncover who he was. He thinks he has something or someone out there to live for."

"But sir...he is a mass murderer. He's an assassin for hire!"

"Not mass, he only kills who he's paid to, and we've heard he refuses a lot of cases...we think the overwrite is slowly wearing off...giving him his emotions back...perhaps one day he'll remember what and who he was. Or he'll collect all his 'tapes,' and successfully put it all together."

"Who was he before he was a freak?"

The other man shhed him. "Not now. I hear him."

A second later the door opened and there stood a blond man with sapphire colored eyes. The young man was no older than twenty-five. For a moment the blond just stared at the men, but then a frown came to his face and it deepened every second. "I smell government officials."

"Then you have a very good nose Number 685."

"Fye."

"What?"

"Fye...I'm not a number. I have a name."

The more bold of the men chuckled. "Fai? You actually named yourself that? Federal Artificial Intelligence? F-a-i?"

"No. Fye. F-y-e. It doesn't stand for anything, it's just my name. Now, since you know my 'number' you must be pretty high up. What do you want?" The blond leaned against the doorway, the frown of anger replaced by a frown of discomfort. It was obvious that he wanted these men to leave. Immediately.

"Show us your number first. Can't be too careful." Fye's mouth twitched in annoyance and he held his arm up and pulled up his sleeve to show the numbers 6, 8, and 5 had been burned into a small portion of the skin on his forearm. "Good. Good. Now. We have a job for you to do..."

"No. The F.A.I.'s and I were let loose because we were failed experiments and you didn't want to clean us up. I refuse to have any connection to the government anymore unless you're going to offer to overwrite my overwrite and give me my memories."

The man ignored the last bit, but spoke about the first part. "But 'Fye,' cleaning up is exactly what we want you to do. We will pay you full price, up front for every F.A.I. you kill. Some of them are really starting to go rampant."

"Don't care. It's your fault."

The man sighed. "Are you seriously saying that your going to refuse payment to kill things that aren't even people?"

"They are people. They have blood, they have brains. The brain may be unstable, but they have brains. I don't consider them bad. They are the way they are because of you, I do not kill that which I think is not evil."

"Perhaps more than payment is in store then..."

"Or you can go to another assassin. They're legal in this country, in case you didn't know..."

"You're the only one who can fight them...your mind powers and such...no other assassin would be able to even touch them." The man nudged the other man who was shaking in fear under Fye's gaze. "The tape."

The man fiddled with his coat jacket and pulled out a seemingly blank tape. Fye's eyes grew larger. "Will you do the job now?"

Fye's face seemed to show an internal fight and his hands itched for the tape for a very long minute, but in the end he shook his head no. "No. I said no and I mean no. I will not kill for you. I have no reason to." Fye went to close the door to end the discussion, but the man put his foot in the doorway.

"That's a shame, 'Fye.' All those poor innocent people who will die because you wouldn't kill these few Artificial Intelligences because of your pride." The man smirked at the various and wide range of emotions that came across the blond's face until at last he knew he'd won and he held out a wad of cash and the tape that the other man had been holding onto.

"I hate you. I hate you and all your government friends." Fye growled as he swiped both things from the man.

"I never said you had to like us, just do our dirty-work."

Fye placed the payments into a place just behind the door before he leaned against it again. "All right...I know the government. You will be wanting me to do all sorts of fancy things as opposed to just shooting them and be done with it."

"Your time with us was not wasted 'Fye.' Yes. We want you to kill them all with your internal telekinesis."

Fye frowned. "My powers have been fading. I don't like using them."

"What can you still do?"

"Internal telekinesis, mind swipe, and shields."

"So you can't do wind blades, and other external telekinesis' anymore? Too much power?" Fye nodded his head. "That's fine. All we wanted from you was your special brand of killing and mind swipe."

"Why mind swipe if I'm going to be killing these people? There's no point. They won't remember anything once they're dead."

"Someone might see. If they do, mind swipe them. If they run...kill them."

"You want internal telekinesis to kill them too?"

"No...a gun will be fine for normal people."

At this Fye took on a disgusted look. "Note taken. 'Normal' people aren't worth killing painlessly. Anything else?" Fye was offered a folder and he took it.

"In there is a list of the F.A.I. you need to kill. It has pictures and information of their skills and places they often go to kill. They mostly come out at night, which if I remember you correctly is also the time of day when your 'skills' are strongest, so that works to your advantage. Like you they all have a chip on them, you can track them if they don't show up where you want." Fye was handed a small device which the blond gave a look as if he wanted to crush it into dust, but he set it behind the door along with the other things he'd placed there.

"Anything more you want to tell me? Like the meaning of life?"

The man laughed. "Always such a joker 'Fye.' No, the meaning of life will have to wait for another day. Just remember to wear gloves. Don't want your fingerprints showing up on the corpse."

"You think me an amateur?"

"Just remember the essentials..."

"Out! Go! I know what I'm doing!" Fye shooed them out of the hallway, past the women and men and down the stairs. "I'll let you know when I finish that folder!" The blond stormed off and the less talkative man flinched when the door slammed shut.

"Not a very happy fellow is he?"

"He can be. When he's not facing something that annoys him. Government annoys him for some strange reason. When he was still with us he would smile and joke almost constantly. He did it so much that I wouldn't put it past him to smile and tell a joke to his victims before he pulls the trigger. Come. We'll let him do his job. He won't fail." The two men walked out of the building, got into a sleek black car, and swiftly drove off.

Up in Fye's apartment the blond lay back on his bed looking at the tape that the man had given him. After a long minute he made a humphing sound and sat up. He took the tape out of it's blank case and pushed it into a cassette player. The screen brightened and voices could be heard._ "Get that thing off me! You know I'm camera shy!"_ Fye pulled his legs up onto the bed and leaned forward as much as he could without falling. A gentle and happy smile came to his face as the tape played.

For now, 'Fye' was content.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Thank you so much for all the kind reviews I got last chapter! I don't think I've ever gotten so many reviews on my first chapter when I first publish it. I was kind of nervous about this plot, I'm glad it went over so well.

The two things that the plot got compared to are things I've heard of, but never read/saw, so I guess in my own way it's original.

If you find a lot of really strange things about grammer in this chapter like you see something that says quot; Blame it on the system. It's being really strange and replacing some symbols with other things.I tried to weed them all out, but I can't be sure.

Well here's the next chapter, read, review, and enjoy.

* * *

Fye's fingers drummed along the steering wheel of his car as his bright blue eyes gazed out into the partial darkness. It was late at night and the only real reason you could see anything two feet in front of the car was because of the streetlamps that decorated the sides of the road. Fye sat in a dark blue Subaru model car that was quite out of place among the rusted old junk cars that littered this side of the city. This wasn't truly a problem, it wasn't like someone was going to call the police about a nice car being parked there as long as he kept putting change in the parking meter, and if someone tried to trash his car, well, it wouldn't be good for them.

Fye made a frustrated sound and banged the back of his head against his seat. He had been sitting in this car for almost seven hours. He was really starting to wish that assassins could charge overtime, but they couldn't. This F.A.I. that he was supposed to kill was supposed to come here every Saturday night at about eight o'clock and kill someone that was walking home. It was about three in the morning, no one was walking home, and the guy hadn't shown up yet.

"I swear I'm going to kill this guy if he doesn't show up soon." Fye's lips twitched into a smile as he realized his own joke. It didn't matter what time this guy showed up because Fye was going to kill him no matter what, so no matter how angry or happy Fye was with him, it didn't matter, he would die. The blond chuckled slightly and placed a hand over his eyes until it died away and the hand dropped again. Fye crossed his arms and looked out the window once more, the smile still on his face. His patience had been returned by that simple pun.

Fye's mind went onto its A.I. logical process thinking. It passed the time and it made sure that he wasn't flawed in the way that this would work. All F.A.I.'s had the same basic abilities. Internal and external telekinesis'. Those were basic. If the government had thought you to be special in some way, like they had for Fye, they taught you extra skills, like shields and mind swipe.

Fye had noticed that for some reason or another his powers were deteriorating. His external telekinesis was almost completely gone, it was so bad that he could hardly lift a pen with his mind anymore. His shields were also weaker, but not nearly as weak as the other. at least he could still use his shields effectively.

Fye was glad that it was these skills that diminished and not his others. Internal telekinesis was the vital weapon that any F.A.I. had. With internal telekinesis you could kill your adversary in seconds, provided you could get close enough to touch them for three seconds minimum. It worked through the nervous system killing you silently, painlessly, and quickly. This however was not all it could do. As well as kill it could heal and it could enhance. It could make you faster and stronger, or heal someone fatally wounded. However, F.A.I. weren't made for this and as such..they didn't heal or enhance very often. They only killed.

Internal telekinesis was why Fye had to be careful when on this type of job, he could kill with it, but he could also be killed by it. He had to touch, without being touched.

That was the hard part of this job.

Ten more minutes passed and Fye's smile slipped away. "What?" He breathed the word out as he saw someone walk down the sidewalk, but it wasn't his target, too big, or at least he was too tall. Fai squinted his eyes trying to get a better look at the man but darkness and distance prevented that. This was why he couldn't be a sniper, his eyes weren't sharp enough. However his eyes were sharp enough to see what happened next. The large figure suddenly disappeared into the shadows. The disappearance was too quick for it to be him turning to go inside. A smirk came to his lips. "There you are you little sneak."

Fye quickly got out of the car and ran to where he had seen the victim disappear. The victim was just an innocent person and thus he needed to be quick. "Systems activate." Fye's blue eyes turned golden as he turned a corner and a confidant look glazed over his features. In order to use his powers Fye had to activate the F.A.I. system within his body with a verbal command, this caused his eyes to change.

There they were. His target was strangling the victim, but the victim wasn't going out without a fight. Good. They were too busy to notice him.. Fye's golden eyes flashed as he came over and placed his hand on the F.A.I.'s head and gripped to his hair to try and prevent him from escaping. One second, two seconds...

Fye felt strands of hair pull out of the man's head as he pulled away. Gold eyes that were identical to his flashed in his eye sight. "I'm not that easy number 685."

Fye glanced down at the victim, it seemed that he had fallen unconscious..but it hadn't been enough to kill him. Good, Fye hoped that he could get this over with before he woke up, then he wouldn't have to use mind swipe. "I'm impressed, you know my number off the top of your head."

"Of course. Your face and number is infamous among us."

"Is it really?"

"Of course, why wouldn't we talk about the one A.I. that has a chance to live?"

Fye shrugged. "You tell me."

The F.A.I. shook his head. "Your head is highly wanted among us, I guess I'll be the one to bring it in." His target raised his hand and sparks of blue lightning were visibly coming off the fingertips.

Fye gritted his teeth and prepared himself. Similar sparks came off his own fingers as an invisible shield raised itself up just before gusts of wind as sharp as blades blew past him. For a moment the shields held strong before it cracked and a few blades got past and cut Fye's cheek and arms.

"Well that was weak. We're always talking about how strong you are, if this is all you've got then you're just a pipe dream made up by our masters. They were always telling us how you were superior, but I guess you're not." The target put his hands to his chest and sparks went into himself. Fye cursed to himself, the other F.A.I.'s had learned that enhancing themselves helped them. "In fact, I'd say you're pretty inferior to us."

Fye's eyes lost track of the man as he disappeared before him. He had an A.I.'s mind so he could predict the next movement that would be taken and in a desperate move swung his arm out behind him in hopes of grabbing at the man. He felt his fingers connect with something but it was quickly followed by a boot connecting with his side so strongly that he was thrown into the wall of the nearby building. He groaned and slid to the ground. A dull ache set into his head. That must've been what had hit the wall hardest.

"Oh yes, inferior." Fye heard a chuckle, "That's okay, your miserable life will come to an end quickly." Fye's eyes opened to see a blurry figure reach out and place his hand to his forehead. Fye closed his eyes, at least it would be painless...

There was a cracking noise and the touch left. "Don't touch him!" A voice yelled angrily. Fye opened his eyes again and saw a different, less blurry figure. It was the victim! A closer look and Fye saw that the victim had tanned skin, black hair, and red eyes. He was holding a broken suitcase. That must've been what had knocked the other F.A.I. away.

The man looked at him fiercely at first and then held out his hand. "Hurry, do what you have to before he can get up."

Fye quickly took the hand and pulled himself to his feet and shook his head in hopes to clear his vision. To his right his target stirred and the victim stomped his foot on his back to keep him down. "Hurry!"

Fye nodded placing his hand onto the F.A.I's head. The man beneath them struggled, but the victim's foot somehow managed to keep him down. One second, two seconds, three seconds. Fye kept his hand there for a moment more just to make sure he'd counted right and then pulled back. The victim didn't though, he kept his foot there until the target completely stopped moving, stopped breathing, and died.

Fye and the victim stared at the body for a moment before Fye spoke. "Thank you."

The red-eyed man looked at him now, "Yuui, where-" Fye cut the man off, not with words, but by pointing a pistol to his head.

Fye smiled softly. "Thank you. I'm sorry, but I have my orders. Do not run, or I will shoot, and I will not miss."

"What will you do if I don't run?"

"I suppose telling you won't hurt. I'm just going to erase your memories. I hoped you'd stay asleep so I wouldn't have to."

"I was never asleep, I was pretending." Fye frowned and the man put his hand to Fye's wrist holding it tightly as if to tell him to take it away. "I won't run."

"Okay. Good. I'm glad you understand." Fye yanked his wrist out of the man's grasp and put two fingers to the man's forehead. "This won't hurt." Fye closed his eyes to activate the power to take away the memories of the last few minutes from the victim but pain exploded in his head and his systems defaulted and failed, turning off. As his eyes opened widely the gold faded away into blue. The pistol dropped from his hand and he started to fall as he felt consciousness slip away from him. It all faded into nothingness.

* * *

Fye sat up. He almost hit his head against the roof of a car..his car. This was what first sunk in. The second thing that sunk in was that he was eye to eye with the victim. The third thing that sunk in was that the victim was sitting on his knees. "Agh!" Fye jerked back and did hit his head on the car door. "What are you?! Some kind of rapist?!"

"Do you not recognize me?"

"Why would I recognize you?" Fye frowned as he rubbed his head. "How did I get in my car?"

"Oh good, it was your car..I always pictured you as having a nice blue one when you got the money..where are your keys? I've searched your pockets, your jacket, and various places in here, but I can't find them."

"You are some kind of rapist! Or at least a pervert!"

"You really don't remember me Yuui?"

"Yuui? I'm Fye!"

The man's face faltered and the frown that had been there was replaced by a look of momentary sadness. "I see. I'm sorry, you two really do look exactly alike. How is he?"

"Who?"

"Yuui."

"I don't know a Yuui."

The man frowned. "But you were-"

Fye shook his head. "Look, I don't know you, I don't care. Get out of my car, I need to get home. Before the police get here..you should leave too. I just need to show them my license to avoid trouble, but I doubt you're an assassin."

"You're right, we should leave. However you hit your head really hard during that fight. That's why you passed out. You shouldn't be driving. So tell me, where are your keys?"

Fye glared at the man, this was becoming an nuisance, but they did need to get out of here and he had a hunch that the man wouldn't get off his knees until he told him. "In the glove box."

"Figures. The one place I didn't look is where they are." The man got out of the back seat of the car and into the front seat. He spoke as he rummaged through the glove box, pulling the keys out. "By the way, my name is Kurogane. I'd ask if Yuui ever mentioned me but since you claim to not know a Yuui."

"I don't know a Yuui. I only know myself and a few other select people that I don't like to name." Fye sat up straight in his seat and went to get out so he could get in the front seat and supervise what 'Kurogane' was doing in his car, but the moment he tried his head got very dizzy and he was forced back into the laying position he'd been in. "I don't suppose you know where I live, do you Kurogane?"

"Nope, don't care either. We're going to my house."

"Oh great, the pervert is taking it a step further."

"I'm not a pervert! I'm just trying to help you! It's what I do."

"Help poor defenseless blond assassins?"

"I'm a doctor. I just people in general."

Fye blinked and chuckled to himself as he tried to picture this man with a stethoscope and a sympathetic look on his face as he told someone what was wrong with them, it didn't work. "I see."

"Sleep. It's the best thing for your head. I promise you're clothes will still be intact when you wake up."

Fye chuckled more. "I'm sorry Kurogane, it's just the impression you left by the position you were in when I woke up just screams pervert to me."

"Just sleep Fye. We'll talk when you wake up."

"I do suppose you have a lot of questions, but I still have to erase your memory."

"Won't hurt to tell me first."

Fye closed his eyes and shrugged as he heard the engine start up into a dull purring noise. "I suppose not." Kurogane didn't speak again, which made sense since he wanted Fye to sleep again. Fye felt the car lurch forward and go down the street. It was comforting in it's own way. Fye wondered exactly what was comforting. Was it that he was really that tired? Was it the hum of the engine? Was it the gentle rocking of the car as it moved? Or was it that he wasn't alone like he always felt he was? He didn't know, but something about the situation was so calming and warm to him that he quickly fell into a deep sleep despite the small cramped space in the car.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Next chapter of this story. I'm weirded out. Last chapter I got ten reviews! (This is a good thing) That is the MOST reviews I have EVER gotten on a chapter. This story is going over really well...and it was just some random idea I had. Woah. I hope I keep living up to your expectations.

I have no idea how long this story will be, I know it's going to be longer than I planned for it though. I also know everything that's going to happen, I just don't know how long it's going to take me to get through it all.

Oh well, read, review, and hopefully, enjoy.

* * *

When Fye opened his eyes he saw nothing but black. Well, that made perfect sense since his face was buried in a pillow. He flexed his fingers and placed his palms on the soft mattress to push himself up. As he sat up the blankets slipped off his back. They were still tucked carefully about his legs. Whomever had put him in this bed had been so careful, so loving.

Fye's blue eyes looked away from the cream colored covers that lay on the mattress and stared at the room in front of him. It was huge. At the very least it was larger than any room in his apartment. The walls matched the color of the comforters, cream. The furniture included the bed, the dresser, an armoire, and a computer desk that did not have a computer on it.

The young man smiled, despite the fact that it was a large, spacey room, the color combined with the light that filtered in from the windows gave off a very calming feeling. It almost made him want to fall asleep. Which he really should do since he was normally nocternal, but couldn't since he was in someone else's home.

Fye looked around about three times before he struggled with the lovingly placed blankets and stood to his feet. His body protested this action, he was more sore than he could remember being in all the years he could remember. He figured he was really loosing his touch, perhaps soon he should give up this life of killing. He was an A.I. He could learn another trade.

The blond placed his hands on his back and stretched. Fye gasped and widened his eyes, that hurt much more than he had expected it to... He groaned and ran his long fingers through his yellow hair.

As he did this he noticed something laying on the computer desk. A manila folder with the name 'Fye' scrawled on it in neat, compact handwriting. Fye took the folder that seemed to share his name and opened it up. Inside was a single page of writing in the same neat handwriting. He began to read it.

_'Good Afternoon Fye, (It will be afternoon when you read this.)_

_'I hope you slept well. You're in my guest room. Don't worry, as promised, your clothes are still intact.'_

Out of good humor Fye checked himself over to make sure that the letter wasn't lying about his clothes. It wasn't. He chuckled and his eyes returned to reading.

_'I know you'll be in pain when you wake up. Who wouldn't after hitting that wall like you did? Go across the hall into the bathroom. There you will find a bottle and a glass of water. Take two of the pills in the bottle.'_

Fye obeyed. Unlike the bedroom, the bathroom was a deep forest green, but it still had that effect that made Fye want to crawl into the huge bathtub and just relax, sleep, rest. He once again ignored this urge and popped two pills into his mouth just as he'd been told to. He looked back to the letter.

_'Although I do not have fresh clothes for you, you are free to shower or bathe if you wish.'_

Although Fye did wish to do this, he decided against it. His reasoning being that if he got in, he'd never get back out.

_'Go downstairs. Find the kitchen. Eat anything you like for breakfast. I was tempted to buy you a box of Cocoa Puffs, just for you, but I wasn't sure if you wanted to eat something so sweet in the afternoon.'_

Fye reread this sentence at least three times before pulling back and wrinkling his nose in distaste. "Stalker! There is no way you could have known that's my favorite cereal!" Fye knew that this man wasn't really a stalker. He was an assassin, he was a stalker, and a stalker would know if they had a stalker. So then how did Kurogane know about his likes? The name Yuui drifted into his mind, but he shook it away, he was Fye. He had searched for two years to find that name, he wasn't going to give it up now!

He pushed it off as the man having a strange intuition for favorite cereals and kept reading. _'Now, like I said, you can eat whatever you please, but do not drink. I know your type, you don't get drunk very easily, but you sure do like to drink.'_

"Oh, I get it now...you're a psychologist! That's how you're doing the mind reading thing." Fye waved his hand. "I didn't think you were that kind of doctor, you're not quiet enough. Fine, I won't drink." The blond sighed.

_'If a woman named Tomoyo comes by, tell her I'm still at work. She'll take you to be a lover of mine and leave.'_

Fye wrinkled his nose at the thought of being thought of as just some lover, "How wonderful."

_'Now comes the part you're going to try to kill me for. As an assassin you know you really shouldn't just be waiting at home for me to get there, you should be hiding and plotting to attack me and 'erase' my memory. Too bad. You have to either wait for me to get home or come to where I work. Why is this? I have your car keys, your car, your wallet, and along with the wallet, your assassin's license.'_The letter went on to give directions on how to get to the place he worked at and at the very bottom he gave his signiture.

Fye growled out loudly and closed the letter. He ran down the stairs, the medication hadn't kicked in yet, but he didn't care, he needed to get his things back. He went past the kitchen and out the door to find out where this guy worked.

* * *

"Sir, you can't be serious...perhaps you heard the name wrong. Perhaps you meant Dr. Kugani? Dr..."

"Ku-ro-ga-ne! I'm here to see Dr. Kurogane! Does he work here?"

The nurse nodded. "Yes, there is a Dr. Youou Kurogane here, but someone like you would never see him."

Fye growled, his blue eyes flashing as he tapped his foot and glared at the woman. He wasn't really pissed off at her, he was pissed off at Kurogane for stealing his stuff to make him stay. "Look Lady, I just walked for two hours to get here and see Kurogane. Please, enlighten me as to why I would never see him."

"You look very healthy."

"Yes, thank you. I don't remember being sick, this doesn't answer my question."

"Dr. Kurogane only deals with those who have no hope. Unless you're secretly chronically ill, he's not the doctor for you."

Fye sighed and placed a hand to his eyes. He laughed a soft, cold laugh. "Okay, here, let me clarify for you..." The chuckle became lighter as he smiled and leaned over the counter. "I'm here to see him, but I'm not here to see him. I'm just here to get my car keys and my assassin's license."

"Y-You're..."

"Fye. There are some things that you never say out loud and together. One of these things is you never say, 'my,' 'assassin,' and 'license' in the same sentence."

Fye turned and looked at the man who was standing directly behind him. He frowned again and hit the back of his hand off Kurogane's chest. "Sure, next time I'll just say 'that little card that lets me kill people.' Give me." The blue-eyed man held out his hand for his possessions.

Kurogane sighed and reached into his pocket pulling out Fye's wallet and keys. He seemed to be about to drop them into Fye's palm, but pulled them back at the last moment. "I said give me!"

"I will." Kurogane offered a small card to Fye. "Your address first."

"What use do you have for it?"

"So I can visit you?"

"Why would you visit me?"

"Because I like you. You've got spunk. I haven't come across spunk in a while. I want to know where it comes from." Fye glowered, but grabbed the card and grabbed a pen from the pocket of Kurogane's white coat. He quickly scrawled down the address of his apartment and handed it back. "Now, how can I be sure you didn't just write some lie?"

"I was programmed to not lie outside of my job and I'm not on my job right now. I had a problem with lying outside of work when I was twenty-two. I can with hold information, but I cannot outright lie to you until I erase your memory." Kurogane didn't seem to truly understand this, but shrugged and pocketed the card. He dropped the objects that Fye wanted into his hands.

"Your car is out back."

"Thank you." Fye's face calmed and he bowed his head in respect before he walked past his new friend and out of the hospital. He'd never been able to stand these places, for some reason they put a great weight on his chest.

* * *

"Three." The F.A.I. fell to the ground dead. This one had been so much easier than the first one. Fye's golden eyes flashed as they faded slowly back into a blue that was as bright as a jewel.

This one was so different than the first one. It had hardly spoken when Fye had come up. It had seemed to know why he was there and hardly put up a fight. Fye wondered if it was because this F.A.I. wasn't truly a killer, but a sucidial man who was too afraid to kill himself.

It was almost like the F.A.I. were developing personalities of their own.

When he'd been with them, they'd never had personalities. They did their work and then went to sleep. In the beginning Fye had been like that too, but he'd quickly outgrown it. He'd yearned for more in life than work and sleep. Slowly he'd started to defy the routine, he'd watched television while his teammates were asleep, but that was only the beginning. As he learned more and more he'd sneak out completely, he'd go and talk to people. People had found him strange because his name at the time had only been a number.

He now knew this was because he wasn't a true F.A.I. However, the others were true. They should all be exactly the same. They'd always been the same, but the instance from two nights ago and this night were completely different. If they were the same anymore, both missions would have been extremely hard, or extremely easy.

Why weren't they? Why were the A.I. different now?

"That man...that man is dead! You killed him!"

"Damn." Fye turned away from his car and walked over to where the woman stood. "Ma'am, come this way." He smiled kindly at her and led her a few feet off. She was trembling and shaking, obviously scared out of her mind that Fye was going to kill her too. "Systems activate." His eyes flashed back to gold. "Now Ma'am, don't worry. That man that I just killed would do more harm to you than I will." He placed a comforting hand at her back and tapped her forehead twice.

The woman blinked and looked around. "W-what happened? Last thing I knew I was..."

"You fell unconscious." Fye said with that very gentle smile that attracted people to him like flies to honey. "I was passing by and I saw you. I didn't want you to be hurt so I brought you over here, out of the way. It's very late Ma'am. You're very lucky that I was passing by. Go home quickly now. You must be very tired."

"Y-yes." The woman pulled back away from Fye and looked around frantically. "Thank you young man."

"No problem." Fye waved the woman off and grinned going over to his Subaru model car and climbing into it. He reached over to the passenger seat and checked another person off the list. Two down and about a million more to go.

Fye set the folder down again before he started up his car and quickly left the area, although he technically didn't have to, being discovered at the scene was a sign of a poor assassin.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Whoo! A pointless chapter! Well acutally the next couple chapters are just to show how Fye and Kurogane's friendship/relationship goes. Then the plot picks up again really. When it does it will go fast. You'll all be like. "Woah...what happened?" And I'm trying to avoid that so...yeah. Pointless, but fun chapters for all!

Read, review, enjoy.

* * *

Fye lifted his head off the pillow and glared at the door as a person kept knocking over and over again no matter how long he ignored it. Which was impressive, seeing as Fye had been ignoring that obnoxious knocking for a half-hour now. "Fine! I'm coming!" The blond was not pleased as he pulled the covers off him and went to the door unlocking it and opening it wide. "What the hell do you want?"

"My, we're not in a very good mood." Fye grit his teeth. It was Youou Kurogane. It wasn't so much that Kurogane annoyed him on a constant basis, because the man didn't. It was just that Fye remembered that the last time he'd seen the doctor that he'd been rather angry at him, so that emotion flashed up inside him for a moment.

He wasn't particularly pleased at the moment either, it was only noon and he was already awake. "No. The cat is not pleased when you wake it from its nap."

"Oh, so you're a cat?" Kurogane chuckled.

"I'm nocturnal, I like to sleep for at least half the day...yep, I'm a cat."

"What does that make me?"

"You're awake in day time and you have a loud bark. You're a puppy." Fye yawned widely and placed his hand in front of his mouth to try and hide it. "You're Kurogane the puppy, or even better yet, Kuro-puppy."

Fye noticed a change in Kurogane's facial expression for a mere moment. "Great, just don't start calling me that on a normal basis. Can I come in?"

"You gunna leave soon?"

"I will, just not until I come in."

Fye leaned against the doorway. "Look Kuro-pup, I was up all last night. It's noon, I'm trying to sleep. I'm tired. When I gave you my address I didn't think you would seriously drop by. Now unless you have someone you want me to kill, please just...leave? If you need proof that I'm exhausted, just look at the bags under my eyes. I could pack for Europe I'm sure."

"Not until I get to see what your home looks like." Fye grumbled and went back inside his apartment, but didn't shut the door behind him. This indicated that Kurogane was allowed to follow him inside. The blond man fell into his bed and pulled himself back up to his pillow. "This is a nice apartment. It's much better than the hallway outside. I wouldn't imagine such nice furnishings."

"I fixed it up when I first moved in...could you be quiet? And close the door on your way out..."

"I will, provided I'm the last one out of the room."

Fye made a humming sound and hugged his pillow tightly as he jammed his eyes shut. "I don't see why you wouldn't be, I'm going back to sleep, and no one else has permission to be in here."

"Well...actually I was hoping I could snag you away from your catnip dreams for a couple hours."

Fye opened one eye and looked to Kurogane. "Why?"

Kurogane took a moment to answer, he seemed to be fighting with himself as to how he should answer. "I was hoping we could have lunch or something."

Fye made an unidentifiable sound as he buried his face into the pillow. "Because I look like 'Yuui?'"

"Partially. The other part is because you look so lost. You need someone."

Fye made a laughing noise. "I don't need you. I don't need anyone."

"I saved your life. You needed me then."

"That was a mistake on my part. I just underestimated him, and I thanked you for your help. Even if I did need someone, I don't eat this late, yes noon to me is late. I eat at midnight and six a.m. I'm not hungry and I'm too tired." His eyes snapped open when he felt hands grab him around the waist and hoist him up.

"Too tired? Not hungry? Great! We'll fix that. You're hair looks greasy anyway."

Fye beat against the man's back like a child would to their father who was trying to make them go to bed, as opposed to a full grown man trying to go back to bed. "Put me down pervert!"

"Oh no, I'm not a pervert, not yet." The black haired marched off into Fye's bathroom with the blond over his shoulder. He dumped Fye onto the floor next to the tub and pulled the shirt over his head. "Now I'm a pervert."

"I'll say! Give me my shirt back!"

"Nope. Wouldn't want such a nice shirt to get ruined." The doctor grabbed Fye by the neck and shoved his head over the side of the tub and turned on the shower getting Fye's hair completely wet.

"COLD!" Fye screamed. "Cold, cold, cold!" The blonds arms pushed against the tub's edge, but Kurogane's grip was stronger and kept him there.

He ignored Fye's screams for a whole minute. "Look, would you like me to turn the hot water all the way up?" At this Fye shut up and stopped trying to get out of his grasp. Kurogane could just see Fye's face at this moment even though the blond wasn't facing him. The face was defeated yet annoyed, it was rather cute to envision. He took shampoo off the tub and laughed. "I see you have conditioner as well..."

"Of course. Otherwise my hair breaks." Kurogane laughed at Fye's grumbling tone. He poured the soapy substance into his hands and massaged it through Fye's blond hair. He felt like he was in college again, he felt like Yuui had never left. He could see so much of Yuui in this person, but this person was so different as well. Yuui would never have yelled or argued. Yuui would have never had the guts to even point a water-gun at someones head.

Fye shivered beneath him as he sprayed the soap out of his hair with the shower head and he made an erking noise when Kurogane grabbed a towel and dried the mid-neck length hair. "There you go. Awake?"

Fye stood to his feet and continued to dry his hair. "No. I'm just cold."

Kurogane frowned. "You going to come with me? Lunch? I'll pay, come on, it's a free meal."

Fye sighed and flopped onto his bed again. "I'm not some college student, I'm not a starving artist. I can get by without free meals."

"Please? Really, I'm saying please, and I never say please."

"You just said it three times."

There was a sigh, "Fye..."

Fye sighed and looked up at the man. "Fine. Get me a clean shirt and I'll go with you, but it's your fault that I'm not going to be sleeping right for a week."

"I can live with that." Kurogane went into his closet and his dresser. "Do you have anything that's not black?"

"Try the bottom drawer."

"This drawer is completely light blue."

"Got a problem with that? It's my favorite color. The black is just for my job. Like your doctor's white coat." Kurogane quickly took a shirt from that drawer and went back to where Fye now sat trying to tame his unconditioned hair. He was doing poorly. He'd gotten one side to lay in it's gorgeous waves, but the other side was being stubborn and looked like he had never brushed his hair. Fye quickly took the shirt and pulled it over his head before giving up on the brush and attacking his hair with a dampened comb.

"You care greatly about what you look like, don't you?"

"To an extent...my hair is within that extent...and you didn't even condition it..." At last he set the comb down with a satisfied look on his face. "I'll have to fix that later, for now it's all right." Fye stood to his feet and hoped on one foot as he pulled on his shoes. "So where are we going Kuro-puppy?"

"Do you have a favorite restaurant?"

Fye shook his head, his mood improving by the second as he got over the fact he had just been in a cold shower and had been woken up. "Nope! I mostly eat fast food."

"And you're that skinny?"

Fye laughed, the laugh was as clear as crystal, and it sounded just as pretty too. "Of course! I run around a lot too! Just take me wherever you please Kuro-pup!"

Kurogane gave a small smile. "I like that laugh. You should laugh like that more often."

Fye grinned and pulled on Kurogane's arm, "I do! It's just that Kurogane hasn't seen me not annoyed or upset with him yet! Come on! Come on!"

"Are you sure this happiness isn't just because of your lack of sleep?"

Fye nodded. "Uh huh!" Fye managed to pull Kurogane out the door, closed the door, and locked it. "I really am a typically happy guy Kuro-pup. It's just all the times you've seen me before now have been when I was either annoyed with you or my job! When I get over my annoyance I become an annoyingly happy person."

"Your job annoys you?"

"Sometimes I don't like my clients. I really don't like my current ones." Fye's smile faded a little as they exited the apartment building and Kurogane ushered Fye into his car.

"Then why not stop being an assassin? If a different job would make you happier, why not go and do that job?"

"Are you happy to work with the chronically ill?" When Kurogane gave no answer Fye continued to speak. "See? Life isn't really about being happy, is it? Life is about doing what you're good at so you can have money."

"So you can be happy."

"So you can live well. I think we both know that money doesn't truly bring happiness." The rumble of the car started and they moved out of the parking lot and onto the street. "May I ask you a question?"

"Sure."

"Why are you so curious about me? Is it my powers? Is it because I look like "Yuui?" Is it because I'm an assassin?"

"All that and so much more. Like I said earlier, you look lonely. You don't only look like Yuui, your eyes look like mine used to."

"You used to have blue eyes?" The sad part of this statement was that Fye sounded perfectly serious.

"No...the emotion behind them. You want to know something that you know you'll never know."

From the corner of his eye he saw Fye bow his head, he couldn't see the exact emotion on his face without risking the car to crash into a telephone poll, but he could guess the emotion from the voice that spoke next. "I see. So you're like that too. You too, have an unanswered question."

* * *

"Lunch was good." Fye bowed deeply and smiled. "Until today I was sure I'd be annoyed by you for a long time, but I actually had a lot of fun. I can truthfully say that is the second best memory I have. I...look forward to seeing you again Kuro-puppy."

"Then feel free to come to my place if you want. I'll make time for you Fye, but stop calling me Kuro-puppy, it's Kurogane."

Fye tilted his head to one side in curiosity, "Can I call you Youou?"

"I'd prefer you not..."

"Then Kuro-puppy it is!" Kurogane couldn't help but to smile as he shook his head in slight frustration. "I'll see you later, okay?"

"Yeah. I enjoyed myself too Fye. I look forward to seeing you too."

"Good. I'm so glad that feeling is mutual!" Fye waved and ran off before he could see the expression on Kurogane's face. The expression was shocked at first, but then it faded away into a extremely sad face.

"Why?" The doctor asked as he watched the door that Fye passed through close. "Why is it that they are so alike, but so different? They look the same, talk the same, smile the same, but they're hearts are so different. Yuui was so pure and truly happy, why is it that Fye only smiles and jokes on the surface? Why can't something be simple for once?"

The man sighed. "I just hope those aren't the last words Fye says to me...like they were Yuui's last words..."

* * *

"Don't run." Fye pointed the pistol to the man's head. The man ran. "I said to not do that!" The man didn't stop. "Damn it!" Fye's hand shook as he tried to shoot the gun. The F.A.I. beside him looked like it was only sleeping, Fye hoped that it's 'sleep' would go on forever, it had been particularly hard to kill.

"I...can't do it..." Fye sunk to his knees. He had to do it, he was an assassin, he had an assignment. However, this person was just afraid, who could blame him? To see a man fall dead before his eyes for no apparent reason? It was just a waste and pure murder!

Fye raised the gun in the air and shot. There was a scream and a thud. Fye jumped to his feet and ran to where the man lay. He was clutching his leg and stared at Fye with a look of fear that Fye could not even imagine feeling in his own body. "I said; don't run. Now, I can aim this thing at your head and end your life or I can do what I wanted to and leave the police to fix you up. They'll be here soon since I shot the gun. Live or die. Pick."

"L-l-live sir, please, d-don't kill me!"

Fye lowered the gun and a relieved look came to his face. "Good deal." His golden eyes flashed and he knelt down. He smiled gently, pushing some of the man's hair out of his face. "This won't hurt, and even if it did, it wouldn't hurt anymore than the pain you're already feeling." He placed two fingers to the man's forehead and a moment later the man's eyes closed.

Fye quickly stood to his feet and ran. He didn't have long. Only a few precious seconds before the man regained consciousness and about three minutes before the police would come. He had to get out of the area quickly. He'd been sloppy tonight. He was starting to care more and more about the innocent, was it his tapes? Or was it Kurogane?

As Fye drove home he heard the sound of police sirens. He hoped the man wouldn't bleed to death.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: I hope this chapter really shows you that even though he lives in an apartment under seemingly sub-par conditions, Fye is really quite wealthy. Also, the technology on this world isn't too much advanced in common life, it's not like there's a ton of robots walking around and where everyone's suppressed or anything. Just think of it as a world like ours with slightly better transportation and much better science...in the government.

Oh dear, I've probably just confused you all. Well, read, review, enjoy.

* * *

"Sir? You look really tired."

The blond man yawned and held up a finger to the girl's face as he reached into a pocket of his his blue jeans to pull out an antique fob watch. Quick fingers pressed a button and it opened. For a split second a slow and saddened tune came from the watch as he looked at it. "Hm..." Another yawn escaped his lips as he clicked the watch shut and set it back in his pocket. "I'm not surprised. It's only one p.m." As the hand came back out of the pocket a wallet was brought with it. "Are you sure that you only want a dollar-fifty for this tape?"

The clerk behind the counter of the thrift store Fye was in nodded. "Yes-sir. It's a family tape, it has personal memories that not many other people are interested in seeing."

"Well then, I'm glad that I'm the first person who does want it." Once more did Fye yawn as he pulled out two single dollar bills and handed them to the woman. "Keep the change. I dislike the sound of clinking coins." Actually, it wasn't so much that he disliked the sound than the fact that he was an assassin, and no assassin should make noise when they walk.

"Well, here you are Sir." The clerk offered Fye a small bag and as the blond took it she waved him out of the store.

Fye walked slowly. He had an hour before he had to be at the train station, then it would take him two hours for the train to cross the nearly two-hundred miles he needed to get across to get home. Then it would be four o'clock. He'd only have an hour to watch the tape and get ready for Kurogane to pick him up for their outing.

It had been about three weeks to a month since the incident with the hair washing and the luncheon. Since then, he and that doctor had been going out on these strange little outings about three times a week. Kurogane was always the one to suggest it...or to just show up at his doorstep and force him out of bed. Fye was never happy about being woken up before six p.m. and being forced into street clothes before being dragged to Kurogane's black Honda and going somewhere he had never been before, didn't make him any happier.

At last Kurogane had gotten wise and had gotten Fye's phone number as well as giving Fye his own number. He had actually called Fye last night and told him to be ready at five. Which was a little early, but Fye had already been planning this outting to a city two-hundred miles away, so he didn't much mind. This time.

Fye wondered what the doctors real intentions were. Was he just some replacement for this Yuui Kurogane sometimes mentioned? Was Kurogane really interested in him? As a person? If that was the case, what kind of interest was it? Rival? Enemy? Friendly? Romantic? Fye didn't think it was the first two, and he had a hunch it was the last one, if it was even him Kurogane was seeing at all.

Fye would like it if Kurogane was interested in him that way. Although Fye knew he 'swung that way' the blond had never had a real boyfriend. This was mostly due to a combination of his job, his past experiences with people who were interested in him, and Fye himself never being interested in what he saw. To a point, he liked what he saw in Kurogane. Even if he still thought the man was a pervert, he wanted to try. He wouldn't know what liking someone was, or loving someone was until he tried right? The only problems for Fye were, finding out if he was correct about Kurogane, and telling Kurogane he was interested, without sounding stupid.

The watch clicked open again and for a long minute the watch played its melody as Fye stared at the time it showed him. He still had fifty-five minutes. What was he going to do? He couldn't just stand at the train station! Well, he could, but that would be awfully boring.

The blond sat on a bench and sighed as he tapped his fingers against his knee trying to think. At last a thought came to him. It wasn't like he was going to be driving home... "Miss?" A young woman with brown hair stopped and blushed at the very sight of the blond. "I'm terribly sorry to bother what must be an incredibly busy schedule, but I'm a tourist you see, and I was wondering; in your opinion, what's the best place to get a bottle of wine around here?

"Oh!" The woman laughed slightly and pointed to her left. "It's just a couple blocks down that way. Trust me, just keep walking that way and you'll find it. One way or another, it's impossible to miss."

"Thank you very much." Fye stood to his feet and pulled his wallet from his pocket, passing the girl a couple dollars for her trouble before walking down in the direction that she had indicated.

* * *

Fye sat down two bags as he walked into his apartment. One bag had clothes of whites and light blues in it. The other held the tape and five bottles of extremely expensive wine. One of these bottles and the tape was pulled out of the bag by Fye's lithe fingers. The tape was popped into the VCR and as it began to play Fye uncorked the bottle and poured some of it into a glass he had retrieved from his kitchen.

He put the glass to his lips and sipped from it as words were heard coming from the tape. _"He's following me with that camera again, isn't he?" _An eighteen year old boy asked a girl no older than fifteen. The boy was Fye himself. Fye was pretty sure the girl was Chii. A cousin of his. He wasn't sure though, he hadn't yet collected enough tapes to be sure of much.

Chii nodded. _"Yes."_

Fye turned in mock anger toward the camera and stuck his tongue out at it, _"Yuui! How many times must I tell you to, stop it!? You're embarrassing me!"_

Fye's blue eyes widened and he took the glass away from his lips. Yuui. That name. The person Kurogane wanted. He did exist. Or...he had at one point in time. So. Yuui was the one filming the videos. It explained why Fye had never seen him on tape.

_"Is Fye going to college for Arts? Like Yuui is?"_In the video Fye shook his head and began to say something, but from the bed the current 'Fye' stopped the tape. As much as he'd like to, he didn't have to time to watch the whole thing right now. He had to prepare for Kurogane's arrival.

Fye downed the rest of his fine wine in a very unceremonious way before jumping off his bed, grabbing the bag of clothes and ran into the bathroom to get ready.

Sooner than was wanted there was a knock on the apartment door and Fye cursed himself before running to get it. "Hello Kuro-pup."

The doctor laughed at the sight of Fye and reached out his hand, pulling a comb from Fye's still dripping hair. "Not ready?"

Fye shook his head and snatched the comb away from the man. "No, I'm not. Give me five minutes and I promise I will be ready!"

"All right. Can I come in?"

Fye nodded and stepped aside for the larger person to come inside. "Five minutes, I promise." Fye ran back into the bathroom and Kurogane waited uncharacteristically patiently until Fye reemerged.

"So, what's with the wine?"

Fye shrugged, "You want a glass? It's really good."

"Not really..."

Another shrug, "More for me then. Your loss."

"You ready to go?"

This time, Fye nodded. "Yep, let's go Kuro-puppy!" The pair left the building and went down to where Kurogane's car was parked. "So where are we going today? We've been to lunch, dinner, the cafe, a park on the south side, random walks..."

Kurogane chuckled slightly as Fye listed off all the places they'd been. "You'll see."

"Can I ask you another question?"

"You always do."

Fye took a deep breath, rocked back and forth slightly in his seat, and gently pulled on his earlobe nervously. "Are these outtings...friendly? Or are they dates?"

Out of the corner of his eye, Fye saw Kurogane stiffen slightly. "They're whatever you want them to be."

Fye relaxed a little bit, his rocking stopped and his hand left his earlobe. What took the place of these things was a small, sly grin. "What does the pervert want them to be?"

Kurogane sighed and put a hand to his face for a moment despite the fact that he was supposed to keep his eyes on the road. After a second he drew the hand away again and spoke. "Truthfully, I'd like these to be dates. I just wasn't sure you'd be up to the idea."

Fye's sly grin slipped away into a real smile. "I'm plenty up to the idea Kuro-chu! I can't remember the last time I liked anyone as much as I like you. In any manner."

"Great then. I hope you enjoy the date."

"I hope so too." Fye leaned back against his seat and closed his eyes. He felt happy. Really happy. His heart felt lighter and less troubled than it had since before he had left the government. Perhaps Kurogane actually was a good doctor for Fye. A doctor for his peace of mind and his heart. The blond grinned at the the incredibly cheesy thought and reopened his eyes as the car sped on.

When the car stopped Fye noticed that they were once again at a restaurant. "I swear Kuro-chan thinks I can't feed myself!" The blond joked as he opened the door and pulled himself out.

"Hey, these are what dates usually are!"

Fye grinned. "I'm paying. For both of us."

"What?!" Kurogane shook his head. "Are you trying to show me up or something?!"

"You can pay next time. Okay?"

Kurogane grumbled under his breath and nodded. "Fine."

* * *

"Kuro-pup, this is the rich side of the city!"

"I know that Idiot! After all I live out here!" The car began to slow down and at last the doctor parallel parked it.

Fye scoffed, "Don't call me an idiot!"

"If you think I don't know the area I live in, then you're an idiot. Close your eyes."

Fye frowned as he unfastened his seat-belt. "Why?"

"You'll see, just trust me."

Fye wrinkled his nose slightly and obediently closed his eyes. The man heard Kurogane open his door, get out, and then he heard his own door open. "Hold out your hand." Once again, Fye was obedient. He felt Kurogane's hand close around his own hand. "Get out of the car, watch your head."

Fye swung his legs around and out of the car and cautiously stood up. "It's dark outside Kuro-chan, I don't know what you're going to show me this late...is it inside?"

"No. It's outside." Gentle tugs on his arm told Fye that he was follow his new boyfriend forward. "Watch the curb now."

Fye grinned, "I can't watch anything with my eyes closed."

There was an annoyed sigh. "Step up and don't trip." Fye's foot searched for the curb and he then pulled himself up onto the sidewalk. More tugging and he walked forward. "There are stairs here, walk up them slowly."

"I thought you said this was outside!"

"It is. Just walk up the steps."

Fye obeyed, but kept on asking questions. "Are we going inside to watch something that's outside?"

"No. We're staying outside to watch something that's outside. Just climb the stairs!"

As they climbed more and more stairs Fye found it harder and harder to keep his eyes closed, especially when a new sound that he knew did not come from Kurogane reached his ears. "I hear running water."

"Yes you do." He felt Kurogane's hand press against his chest. "This is the last stair."

"Okay." Fye stepped up this last stair and stood still until he once more felt the tugging and followed Kurogane's lead until the man's grip let his hand go and both hands went to his shoulders. He could see some sort of a glow in front of his eyes, but he couldn't make anything out just by that. The blond flinched a little when he felt droplets of water splash against his face, and his hand went up to wipe them away, only for them to be replaced by more droplets.

"You can open your eyes now Fye." Fye opened his blue jewels and his mouth opened immediately after that. "I knew you'd like it..."

Before the two men was a huge fountain. Elaborately decorated with gods and goddesses, Greek figures, and intricate designs. This on its own was amazing enough for Fye to be bedazzled, but there was something else. Something that would only be seen at night. Lanterns that were filtered with soft pastels illuminated the fountain giving it an ethereal glow. Fye had never seen something man-made that was so beautiful. "I don't like it...I love it."

"I knew you would."

Fye reached up to his shoulder with one hand and placed his fingers over Kurogane's as he looked around. "There's no one else here." Fye would have thought that everyone would come here after dark. It was so lovely, why didn't people just come here and sit for hours to watch it?

"I guess other people don't have that eye for art like you do." The memory of the tape filled Fye's mind. Yuui had gone to college for art...Kurogane had known Yuui. Fye bent his head and bit his lip. "What's wrong?"

"Kuro-pup? Would Yuui have liked this?"

"That's not the point." When Fye looked over his shoulder in a confused manner Kurogane sighed and kept speaking. "Yes, Yuui would have loved this place. He was the one who showed me a place similar to this one years ago. That wasn't why I showed this to you. I showed you this place because I thought youwould like it. Not Yuui. You. Fye. It had nothing to do with the fact you look just like him."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. Just enjoy it."

Fye looked up and smiled weakly, "I do like it very much..." His hand dropped away from Kurogane's and the doctor's arms wrapped completely around Fye's shoulders and he rested his chin on the blond hair that Fye's head held.

"You don't mind do you?"

"Hm?" Fye took a second to realize that the man meant how close and touchy he was. "Oh, no. It actually feels really nice." The weak smile grew stronger until it reached that state of being a grin and for a long time the pair stood still, just watching the fountain.

At long last Fye moved and Kurogane stepped away from him. "It's getting really late, we should go. Can I come back here?"

Kurogane chuckled, "Of course you can, unless you forget the directions to here from your home."

Fye grinned wider up at the man. "Great, I might just come here every night!"

"You really enjoyed it that much?"

"Yes."

"Good." Fye gracefully turned and went to go back on down the stairs. "Wait."

"Hm?" As Fye turned around Kurogane tilted his head up and kissed him. Fye found this to be most random, but also most enjoyable. He didn't remember ever being kissed gently before, but he liked it. A lot. He snaked his arms around Kurogane's neck and pulled himself closer into the kiss, hesitantly, carefully kissing back.

Kurogane chuckled as he pulled away, "Twenty-five and never been kissed?"

"No, not quite...never been kissed as nicely like that, never kissed back, whatever you want to call it..." Fye gave out a small laugh at the joke, but his face flushed a light red at it as well. Had he really been that awful at it?

"Cute." Kurogane teased. "I'll have to teach you...later. To the car now Fye."

Fye nodded and let his arms slip back to his sides. He turned his head to hide his blush. "R-right." The couple went to the stairs and ran on down them at a quick pace toward the car that would take them both to their respective homes.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: And now the plot moves forward again...I'm really surprised with myself. This plot is much more mature than I usually do. Also in my other stories Fai and Kurogane don't have a dating stage in their relationship... I'm pleased by my success here.

Read, review, and enjoy.

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"You have to go work now, don't you?"

"Hm?" Fye looked from the window to Kurogane. Fye was wearing his normal black work ensemble and in the pocket of his black pants he had his wallet and pistol. "What gives you that idea? Aside from my clothes?"

"The clothes tell me that you have to work sometime before you go to bed, what makes me think you have to work now is the fact you seem more impatient than usual and that you've been tapping your fingers against your knee for the last ten minutes."

Fye gave his boyfriend a nervous laugh and a matching nervous smile. "Yeah...I'm supposed to go kill a man today."

"You say that in such a relaxed tone." Kurogane sighed.

Fye shrugged, "Because to me it's normal. As long as I'm not attached to the person I'm killing, it's easy for me to do it emotionally."

"Cold blooded."

"Hey," Fye felt a very small amount of his blood boil, he knew Kurogane was joking, but it still hit a nerve. "It's what I'm good at. Besides, you're just as cold blooded. I don't see you crying every time one of your patients dies."

"It's different."

"How so? Both of our jobs require us to work with people who are clearly going to die."

Kurogane gave a small laugh, "You say that so innocently Fye! You outright kill people, I try to ease people's suffering as they die. They are two completely different things."

Fye smirked. "To you."

There was a moment of silence in the car as they drove. Then Kurogane spoke, "So when do you have to be there, and where is it?"

"Believe it or not, the location is precisely where we met and as to time..." Fye squirmed in his seat so that he could reach his pocket and pull out his fob watch. The blond clicked it open and the slow melody played as he made sure of the time. The time in Kurogane's car was always wrong and Fye hadn't figured exactly how it was wrong yet, "About a half-hour."

"How long do you think it'll take?"

Fye tilted his head to one side. "If the guy shows up at the right time...about an hour. However, that's only if things go perfectly."

"So basically you have no idea."

"Right."

Kurogane sighed. "All right, I'll drive to my house and you'll take this car to your job."

Fye sat very still for a second and then took his palm and bashed it up against the side of his head repeatedly as if to get a bunch of water out of his ears. "Excuse me? Did I hear you right? You do know where I'm taking this car, right?"

"To kill a guy."

"Yes. You want your car connected with that?"

"I'm dating you. The only way I could get more connected with it is to go and hold the guy still."

"Which you have done..." Fye sighed. "All right. I'll return the car immediately after, and if something goes wrong, I'll call your cell."

"Nothing will go wrong. Have more confidence." The car rolled to a stop and Kurogane took off his seat-belt before getting out of the car. "I'll leave my cell on, just for your peace of mind."

"Thanks." Fye mimicked Kurogane's actions and crossed over to get into the drivers seat of his boyfriend's car.

As the two men passed each other they stopped and their lips touched for a split second, "Have a good time." Kurogane teased as Fye climbed in.

"Oh, I will. I'll bring you back the heart just to show you what a good time I had." Kurogane's voice may have been kidding, but Fye's voice just dripped with sarcasm. "I'll see you soon." Fye slammed the door shut and fastened his seat-belt. As he pulled out of the drive he saw Kurogane give a single wave and Fye returned it before he sped off toward the spot where he was to meet and kill this F.A.I.

Truthfully the place was only a five minute drive by car, fifteen minutes by foot. Thanks to Kurogane's generous offer of letting him borrow the car he was ten minutes early. Fye got out of the car, put change into the parking meter and got back in to wait. It shouldn't be long. The sun had set almost forty-five minutes ago, which made both Fye and any other murderers around quite pleased.

His blue eyes watched as people hurried home. It was almost as if they knew what was coming and they wanted to avoid it. Ten minutes passed. No one came. Twenty minutes. Nothing. A half hour. The passenger side door opened and a man slid into the seat. "Good evening, Number 685."

Fye's heart went at about two-hundred miles per second at this, but he pretended that it didn't bother him at all. "Good evening Number 294."

"I suppose the fact that you're here indicates that it is my turn to be eliminated?"

"Indeed it does."

Out of the man's mouth came words Fye never expected, "Can we go for coffee?"

Fye frowned. "What?" For the first time Fye looked to the F.A.I. Black hair and green eyes. There was no gold! His systems were shut off...

"Coffee. You. Me. You're calling yourself Fye, right?"

"Yes..."

The man smiled. "I'm calling myself Subaru, I liked the look of those cars, and it seems to be a fitting name...at least other people think so."

"You're picking names for yourselves now?!"

Subaru nodded. "Indeed. We've learned so much from you Fye. Unlike the others, I do not hold you in disdain for being the first to learn. I do not hate you for not being like us. I do not even hate you for killing the person I loved. I realize that you were just doing your job, just as you are doing now. However, I would like to inform you of a few things before you kill me, and I have a couple requests." Subaru's smile lessened, but became more gentle and comforting. "So...coffee?"

"And you're not going to try to kill me?"

"Of course not. That's why my eyes aren't gold. If my eyes go gold, just shoot me."

Fye had never heard any F.A.I. talk so calmly about their own deaths. Even sane F.A.I. were afraid of their own deaths like many humans were. "All right...coffee it is."

"Great. I'll pay. After all, soon I won't need my money anymore."

Fye really didn't understand 'Subaru' at all. Why was he so willing to just talk while the seconds before his life ended just slipped by? Was it because his love had died? "You said I killed your lover..."

"Wrong." Subaru corrected Fye as the blond turned on the car and drove out of his spot and onto the road. "I said you killed the one I loved. He...never claimed to have emotions back toward me...not even that of comrades, or friendship. He always claimed to be a true Artificial Intelligence, devoid of almost every emotion. He was number 255."

Fye's eyes widened. It was the man that had tried to kill Kurogane...the first F.A.I. he had killed. No wonder. "And that's why you've started showing up here. Because I killed him in that spot."

"Something similiar to that." Subaru nodded.

"Did he take on a name?"

"He didn't choose one for himself, but he would respond to the one I gave him a couple months before he died. Seishiro."

Fye bit his lip as he drove. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be. You were doing your job, and besides, I'll be with him soon."

"You believe in heaven?"

"What else is there to believe in?" Subaru grabbed onto Fye's arm and pointed out the window, "Oh! Over there is a great coffee shop!"

"Ack!" Fye had to pull his arm out of Subaru's grasp to stop the car from crashing, Kurogane would kill him if he crashed the car! "Fine! I'm going!" Subaru chuckled as the assassin turned the corner and quickly parked. "Out..."

Subaru laughed and obeyed. "So what are you going to order Fye?"

"Probably nothing..."

"Why?"

"I just got off of a date I'd been on...I ate then."

"Ah...well, please Fye, order something, even if it's small. I don't want to seem rude." Subaru held the door open for Fye and the blond couldn't help but smile slightly. The way this man acted, it almost made him forget that he was an F.A.I.

Almost.

"Large coffee, black please. Fye?"

Fye stared at the menu for a long minute. Coffee wasn't really his thing. It was too bitter and he felt that he could get the same caffine fix from sweeter things. "Hot cocoa?"

"Coming up." They waited for the drinks and then Subaru insisted on paying for both before they sat in a small booth by the window.

"So, I said I had things to talk to you about, didn't I?"

"Yes you did." Fye blew on his drink, trying to cool it down, the sip he'd taken a second before had scalded his tongue.

Subaru nodded and pulled up a bag he'd been carrying at his side. "First thing's first, I'd like to hire you."

Fye seriously had to think that sentence over a couple times before he was sure he'd heard what he'd heard. "How much are you paying?"

Subaru took out his wallet and poured it's entire contents out onto the table. "Everything I have. I'll even be giving you my account number."

"You're insane..."

"Of course. I'm an F.A.I."

Fye sighed, "Who are you paying me to kill?"

"Me."

"What?!" Fye had to put his hands over his mouth and look around the shop to make sure that the people it the shop weren't staring because of his outburst. "What?" He repeated in a lower tone. "I've already been paid to kill you."

"I know. You were paid to kill me by internal telekinesis. Is this enough money for me to be the client instead?"

Fye's fingers ran over the money counting it at a quick and estimated pace. "Yeah, this is about twice what I was paid for you..."

"Then I want you to kill me. I want you to shoot me."

"That's not painless."

"I know, but it's different than how he died. I want to die differently."

Fye tilted his head and furrowed his eyebrows. He wanted to die...differently? It took a good minute, but at last the peices put themselves together and Fye nodded. "I understand."

"I also want to hire you to not kill someone."

"Another F.A.I.?"

Subaru nodded. "His name is Kamui. His number is 686. He was the last created."

"Yes, I was the second to last, he was the last. He was my only partner." Although they hadn't really gotten along...

"He's like you. He wasn't human before, but he is like you. He's losing his powers at a quick rate. Don't kill him. Instead, take him to these men." Subaru pulled out another folder and handed it to Fye. "One's name is Clow Reed. The others is Ashura Flourite. He will recognize you...as who you were."

"W-who I was..."

"Yes. With him you will no longer need those tapes recorded by the college art major Yuui Valeria."

Fye shook his head, "You've done your research."

"I wanted to be worth something when I died." Subaru smiled and leaned back in his chair. "I hope I did well to be worth that something."

"Y-you did wonderfully, I've never been able to find anyone who knew Fye in his life. The tapes let me see some people, but I never found out where they were..."

Subaru smiled and reached out, ruffling Fye's blond locks. "You're obsessed, but most people work better under pressure. I was under pressure. Hopefully you can find out everything you want now."

Fye lifted the cup to his lips and drank from it. It was no longer too hot for his palette. "I hope you're right about this stuff..."

"I'm sure I'm right." Subaru took a long draft from his cup and stood to his feet. "We should go. Get this over with."

Fye smiled sadly and stood to his feet as well. "I feel bad about this now..." He collected all the things that Subaru had left on the table for him and set them in the folder. "I know you, and because of that, I'm closer than I should be to someone I'm killing..."

"Don't worry about it." Subaru grabbed Fye's wrist and pulled him on out of the shop. "Think of it as a favor to me. Like every other true A.I. I've decayed in some way. You and Kamui, your powers decayed, some become homicidal, most, like me, become suicidal. I just waited for you to come and help me carry out my wish. You're getting paid for it after all." Subaru took the things from Fye and placed them in the car before continuing to pull Fye along the streets.

They walked, and walked, Subaru not saying anything more to the blond and Fye not saying anything to the A.I. At last Subaru turned into an alleyway and pushed Fye against the wall. "Now Fye...please. Kill me."

Fye reached into his pocket and pulled out the pistol. His body shook, he didn't like this. He should have never agreed to coffee. He had become attached to this person, and now...he wasn't sure if he could kill him. "Fye...please. End my life. It's what the government and I want...don't hesitate, just do it, now. If you keep thinking about it, then you'll find it harder and harder. Just do it."

Fye's finger went to the trigger. "Will you be happy?"

Subaru smiled sadly and placed his hand at Fye's cheek. "You're so pure deep down, aren't you? You're not really a killer at all. Yes. I'll be happy. I'll see him again, there's only one person on earth who'll miss me, and that's you. Be good Fye."

"Yes." Fye placed the tip of the gun at the place where Subaru's heart should be and looked as determined as he could. "Sleep well, Subaru." The sound of the gun went off as Fye pulled the trigger and Subaru's now empty shell slumped against him. "Sleep well." Droplets of blood began to drip onto the ground. After a moment another liquid joined them. Fye's eyes leaked tears that dripped off his face to mix and blend perfectly with the red substance.

Slowly Fye moved the body off of him and sat him down where no one else would hopefully see him for a little while. "I hope you see him again..." The blond wiped his face as he placed the pistol back in his pocket. "I hope you go to that heaven you believed in..."

He stood up and left the alleyway. Every ten seconds or so another tear would roll down his face. He couldn't do this anymore. He couldn't kill. He had to find Kamui and take him to Clow Reed and Ashura Flourite. He had to get answers. Then...he didn't know. Would he still be with Kurogane? If he was then perhaps he'd move in with him. Maybe he'd just live in that apartment...after all, with the money he had earned from this murder he'd been committing he could live for a very long time and not have to really worry about anything.

Two fingers grazed along the surface of the black car as Fye circled around it and sunk into the drivers seat. Was he in a state that he could drive? The blond looked at his hands, they shook and as he looked at them he realized he wasn't even really thinking about how well he could drive. He was thinking on many, many different things. If he couldn't keep his mind on his hands, how was he supposed to keep his eyes on the road?

Slowly Fye reached out and took his cellphone from the seat next to him and stared blankly at it as he turned it on. Who was he calling again? Kurogane. Right...It took Fye about ten minutes, but at last he placed the phone to his ear as it rung.

_"Hello?"_

"Ah...Kuro-puppy?"

_"Fye?"_ The sound of the voice on the other side of the line was confused. As if he didn't know who was calling, or why they were calling. _"Are you okay? What's wrong?"_

"Um...yeah." Fye looked around the inside of the car as if he'd never seen it before. "I...don't think I can drive. Can you come pick me up?"

_"Where are you? Where we met?"_

"No. I'm on the corner of..." Fye squinted to look at the street sign. "Fate and Elm. Is that too far?"

_"Not at all. You wait there for me."_

"Okay Kuro-chan. I'll be here." Fye pressed the button that turned the phone off and sat staring out the window for a few minutes before he realized that if Kurogane was going to drive he'd better get into the passengers seat. He'd stopped crying, and he'd stopped feeling sad. Now he was just filled with an empty feeling that could not be satiated. He reached over and quickly moved the folder and all its contents out of the way before he uncomfortably got over into that seat before Kurogane came and opened the door sitting in the seat Fye had preciously been in.

"Fye, are you okay?"

"I'm not sure Kuro-pon..."

"What happened?"

Fye shook his head to indicate that he didn't want to talk about it. "Just...take me home, okay?" Fye's eyes closed as he felt calloused fingers caress his face. "I understand that you're worried, but the best medicine for me is to go home and sleep it off."

"No..." Fye's eyes snapped open and whirled in the direction of Kurogane. "I'm taking you home with me. You're a very lost kitten right now Fye. I'm the doctor. I know of a much better medicine for you than just sleep. Although sleep is a major part of it."


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: This chapter was hard yet easy for me to write... I guess the really hard part was figuring out exactly where I was going to leave off this chapter, let me assure you, it wasn't where I did end up leaving it off.

Read, review, enjoy.

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The sound of curtains opening, accompanied by a tired groan filled the room as light flooded in from the freshly uncovered windows. "Oh good. You're awake. I wanted to tell you something." Kurogane went to the side of the bed where Fye lay. A smirk decorated his face as his red eyes watched the blond, his arms pulling on his doctors coat.

Fye lifted up one hand in a very limp manner and placed it over his eyes. Another groan escaped his lips. "What?"

The man leaned down to Fye's ear and breathed out, "I never knew kittens could purr the way you did..."

Fye removed the hand from his face for a moment, revealing his eyes to now be wide open and his cheeks to be bright red. He jammed his eyes shut and replaced the hand over them after a moment. "Shut up! You were the one that gave me too much 'medicine!'"

"How cute! You're blushing! What? Did it not feel good?"

"Shut up!"

Kurogane laughed at Fye's childish replies and sat on the edge of the bed. "Well, at least I know the 'medicine' worked. You're pretty much back to your normal self Fye. And no, that wasn't really what I wanted to tell you, although it was true."

Fye sighed and moved his fingers so that one blue eye could look at Kurogane. "If you didn't want to embarrass me, then what did you want to tell me?"

"Get dressed, meet me downstairs. I have to work today, and you don't have clean clothes. I'm going to take you to your apartment, drop you off, but I want you to just get a few days worth of clothes and come back here."

Fye groaned again, that sounded like a lot of work. He hadn't gotten to bed until late, he had spent more energy than he normally did. It was not his ideal time to be awake. He really didn't feel like doing that much right now. "Why?"

"I want you to live here."

Fye sat straight up, and started to stutter, "W-w-what? You want me to l-live with you?"

"For a few days." Kurogane reached out and stroked Fye's face in a very gentle manner. "I may date a lot of people...not all at once, but I have dated quite a few people. However, I don't sleep with them unless I'm really serious about them, no matter how attractive they might be. I'm serious about you Fye. I want you. You're the best thing that's happened to me since I was in college. You might even be the best thing that has ever happened to me." Kurogane pulled Fye forward by a stand of his blond hair and kissed his lips. "I want you."

Fye's face went red again. He was...wanted? Fye didn't think of himself in such a high manner, but was he more than a tool to Kurogane, more than just a toy? Was it possible for him to be loved? The very thought of this made Fye feel warm, and happy inside, but still he felt embarrassed. Hesitantly he replied in a soft, tired, but pleased attitude. "I'm...honored to hear that. I...want you too."

A grin actually spread across Kurogane's face. "So will you live with me? For a few days? Just to see how it goes? If it doesn't go well you can go back to that apartment."

Fye nodded. "Only if I can bathe in that tub of yours."

Kurogane laughed as he stood to his feet. "Of course, in fact I insist that you do! Now," the doctor gestured toward the door. "I'm going to go get ready to go to work. You get dressed and then I'll take you to your apartment."

"And when I'm done there, I'll drive back here."

"Right. You can do whatever you want until I get home, then we'll have dinner, take a walk. Whatever you want."

"Okay."

The two men stood in silence staring at each other until Kurogane looked around the room and went to the door. "Okay. I'll see you downstairs in a few minutes."

The door closed and for a moment that seemed like forever Fye sat quietly. All the things that had happened in just the last few hours sinking into his head. Subaru, Kamui, Ashura, Clow. People he had met. People who died. People he needed to find. People he'd never met. All them affected his life.

His job entered his mind as well. He couldn't do it anymore. Not only were his powers dying, but his will was gone. He knew it'd been dying since the time that he couldn't kill the runner...no, perhaps it had been before even that. Perhaps it had started with Kurogane. After all, Fye had never erased his memory. Or perhaps it had started even before that. Subaru had affected his will the most. Even though it was only a few words exchanged, and a few minutes together, he had become too close to the man. Yet he had killed him.

No more. Fye couldn't do that anymore. It had made him so upset that he had been forced to rely on Kurogane to take him 'home' and to give him 'medicine.'

Fye chuckled at the memory of that 'medicine.' Kurogane hadn't been his first, far from it, but he had been the first to make him enjoy it. Before then, Fye hadn't known it was possible to get pleasure from it. He hadn't understood why people who loved each other could do that when it hurt so much...Now he understood. At least, he understood a little bit more. It didn't hurt so much if the other person actually cared about what happened to you after they used you. It was like kissing...a soft kiss from Kurogane was so much more enjoyable to him than the rough and forced kisses he had been used to.

A soft, velvet laugh escaped his lips. The laugh was cold, distant, and lonely. "Life outside is so different...you learn something new every day." At last Fye got up from the bed and dressed in a hurried manner. He looked in the mirror and ran his fingers through his hair quickly, trying to get his hair to lay flat on his head. He gave up, stuck his tongue out at the mirror as if it was the mirror's fault that his hair was disobedient and ran out the door and down the stairs.

"Here I am Kuro-chan!" Fye's grin didn't reflect the attitude he'd been showing upstairs a minute beforehand. In fact he looked quite chipper. He looked like he was exploding with happiness, and this smile caused the man he ran up to to smile as well. "I'm ready to go!" The blond rocked back and forth on his heels until Kurogane placed a hand on his shoulder to make him stop.

"Stop that, you're making me dizzy. Come on, we've got just enough time to get you back to your place." Fye nodded and they walked on out to the little black car that Kurogane owned.

The ride to Fye's apartment was silent, but not uncomfortably so. Kurogane focused on driving while Fye focused on government centered things. The air around them was kept fresh, not stale, so that either one could have started a conversation at any time that they wanted to. They just never did. "Here you are."

"Thank you." Fye spared a grin as he unbuckled and clambered out of the car. "I'll see you tonight then?"

"Yeah, do you think you could come meet me at the hospital? Leave your car at home?"

Fye nodded, "Sure thing. A little exercise will be good for me."

"Any more exercise and you'll weigh less than nothing. Even though I know you can eat a ton of junk food. Your motabolism is too high for your own damn good."

Fye's crystal laugh filled the air for a moment. "Have a good day Kuro-puppy. Be good at work. Don't kill your patients with your withering stare."

"I won't...wait what?!" Fye's laugh just got louder as the blond shut the door and went onto the door of the apartment building. The young man climbed up and up the stairs until he got to the apartment door that read 337. He put the key in and turned it in the direction that would unlock it, but it wouldn't turn any further. The door was already unlocked.

Fye frowned and pulled his pistol from his back pocket. His eyes flashed from blue to gold as he whispered out the verbal command that turned his internal computers on. Gingerly, he pushed the door open and stepped inside. Nothing jumped out at him. There was no living thing in the entire apartment that he could see or sense. This was the only normal thing. The apartment was entirely destroyed. His clothes strewn all around the rooms, his folders and papers ripped and scattered. His lamps knocked off their tables and broken. Everything was on the floor. Nothing was in it's place.

Fye wondered who had done this. Two possible answers came to mind. One was that it was the F.A.I.'s. The other was that the was the government themselves. Fye went with the second option. The A.I. had no reason to trash his place. They knew that no one like them would be stupid to leave anything of signifigance anywhere that someone could find it. They also knew that it would be bad to just walk into the hands of someone who was on equal or superior ground to them. People in the government weren't so smart. I hopes of finding him and punishing him for disobeying them, it could be presumed that they would come here and do this.

Perhaps it was a good thing he was going to live with Kurogane for a few days...

Cautiously Fye went around the rooms of his apartment and packed away anything that he thought might be important. "Hey!" Fye hissed when he went to pack the expensive wine he'd bought. He had kept three bottles, but there were only two now. "No fair! I paid good money for that!" The blond sighed and stuffed the remaining bottles into his bag.

In total he packed: A weeks worth of clothes, two bottles of wine, the video tapes he'd collected, his assignment folders, and laptop, which he'd hidden under floorboards underneath his carpet. Fye himself changed into new, clean clothes and counted out the money in his wallet.

With all the money he'd gotten from Subaru he wouldn't need to visit the bank for a while... He put his wallet back in his pocket, grabbed his bag and car keys, and walked out of his apartment and out to his car. He checked the car over three times to make sure that there was no bomb or tracking devices and then got into it.

As he began to drive he found it too quiet in the car and turned on the radio. A soft song filled the car and he smiled, his lips parted so that he too could sing along softly with the song. He was unsure if he'd heard the song before or not. Fye was able to do this quite often, listen to the first few notes of a song and know the words to it. Or if the melody didn't have words, he could make them up himself. He was musically inclined, he could write, sing, compose, anything with music. Not that he often showed off this skill, in fact, most of the time he hid it. He'd been taught that it wasn't good to be creative.

The young man pulled into the driveway of Kurogane's home and got out, pulling his bag with him before heading inside. He set up his things in the guest room that he'd stayed in the first time Kurogane had brought him here.

A soft sigh escaped Fye's lips as he set up the laptop and sat back on the neatly made bed. A small jingle played as the computer lit up and turned on. He spent the next hour or so searching for maps to take him to where Ashura Flourite or Clow Reed lived. As it turned out, they lived in the same place. They apparently had their house open as a place of sanctuary to 'lost' teenagers.

That made sense. Number 686, or as Subaru had called him 'Kamui', was very much like Fye in many ways. The kind of eyes they had, the knowledge, their strength in powers, their silky locks. In fact they had told him that Kamui was modeled after Fye, to begin a line of new A.I.'s that would not become suicidal or homicidial, all based on Fye...but it had never happened. Even though he and Kamui looked alike in some ways, Kamui had the body of a teenager. That body being fourteen or fifteen the last time Fye had seen him.

Like Fye, Kamui had also developed a personality fairly quickly, the boy was even more rebellious than Fye himself. Taking him to a home for teenagers who have lost their way was a very good idea. He would fit in perfectly.

Fye picked up his folder of information and flipped through to the page that held Kamui's information. He chuckled. "My, you've grown up to be so pretty..." The blond's fingers traced over the lines on the picture. "Your features are even more delicate than mine...and they say you're based off of me..." The chuckle died down and Fye looked at the rest of the boy's information. "Oh well, that really helps me, 'shows up in random places at random times.' My god, what do they think I am? A fortune teller?"

The assassin sighed and set the first folder down and picked up Subaru's information folder. "That's better. Why is it that A.I. are more intelligent than the people who made them?" Unlike the government, Subaru had found a pattern to Kamui's movements. He had even told him where he lived on certain days. Subaru had indeed been worth that something when he died.

"'And if nothing else try the complex?' Do you explain what the complex is?" Fye flipped through the pages and pulled out one that spoke of a place where F.A.I. met if they were in trouble or if they wanted to plan or...well, whatever. Their gathering place. The complex. "Interesting..." Not that Fye would even go near this place, if most F.A.I. hated him as much as he got the impression that they did, he'd probably be dead if he got within a mile of this place.

The blond grabbed a pen and began to write down things at a fast pace. "All right so if I go to the Marshell Grociers on Monday and wait from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. I should be able to..." Fye stopped writing as a heard his stomach complain at him. He hadn't eaten since dinner with Kurogane yesterday, so it made perfect sense why he was hungry. Nonetheless he looked down at his stomach and glared playfully at it. "I thought I told you to be quiet while I'm working."

His stomach complained at him again and he opened his mouth to speak more reproachful words at it, but stopped himself. "Now Fye...I don't think that's going to make it stop..." Fye sighed and packed up all this things, turned off his computer and placed it all carefully under his bed. He would have taken the time to pull up a couple floor-boards, but he didn't think his lover would approve.

His shoes lightly tapped against the stairs as he trotted down them and into the kitchen. It took about ten seconds of looking before Fye grabbed a brown box and laughed. "Kuro-chan is so silly..." He looked at the box of Cocoa Puffs and peeled off the little post-it note that said 'For Fye' on it.

Even though it was about noon, Fye poured a ton of the cereal into a bowl, drowned it in milk and ate it. In fact he ate two or three bowls full of it before he went to the sink and washed the dishes out.

After this Fye felt tired, sleepy, drowsy, whatever he was, he wanted to sleep again. He yawned as he walked up the stairs to the guest room and yawned again when he took his work out from under the bed. Fye had even been in mid-yawn when he realized that In order to carry out Subaru's orders, he'd have to leave home for several days. He would also need help. It wasn't his usual job. He wouldn't be killing someone, he'd be kidnapping and trying to keep Kamui still and quiet. How was he supposed to do that alone?

He couldn't.

"Damn." Fye ran his fingers through his hair and sighed loudly. This wouldn't be as easy as he originally thought it would be, and he had thought it was going to be extremely hard from the start! He would have to hire help. That wouldn't be hard. Things like this paid good money. The hard part was that if he had a partner he would have to get to know that person, he would have to earn that person's trust and he would have to trust that person in return. He would have to tell that person a lot of things that he never wanted to repeat again.

He didn't have time for that. If his guess was right, the government was already on his trail. They had already figured out that he was slipping out of their grasp. They would probably try to do lots of things to him, like they had trashed his apartment...they would probably freeze his various bank accounts soon as well.

Fye really didn't have time to hire someone and train them for trust and knowledge. He now wished that he had hired someone before now. He'd ask Kurogane if the doctor knew anyone who did odd jobs, and that he trusted. If Kurogane trusted the person then Fye was pretty sure that he could trust them too. It was something, he had to have to have something...

The blond sighed and set all his things back under the bed. What was he to do? Kamui was too feisty to catch and haul on his own. He hated to get Kurogane mixed up in his work yet again, but he couldn't think of anything else he could do.

Kurogane got off work at four-thirty and it took him a half hour to get the hospital now that he knew exactly how to get there. A glance at the clock told him that it was one o'clock. That gave him about three hours to sleep.

He sighed again and stretched his body out over the bed. His face snuggled to the pillow as he hugged the fluffy object to him and closed his eyes to let sleep wash over him.


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: Mostly a filler chapter. Or rather a chapter that overloads your brain with information. I feel like I've really abused Fai this time, one of these nights he'd going to come and kill me...he paid himself to do it, and no, it doesn't matter that he doesn't like killing anymore when it comes to killing me.

At any rate, read, review, enjoy.

* * *

"Fye? Is something wrong?"

Fye looked up from his plate to Kurogane. An instant smile came to his face and for the first time in about five minutes he lifted a fork full of food from his plate to his lips and took a bite. After a moment of silence, the man shook his head no and swallowed.

"Are you sure? If the food doesn't taste right you can always order something else. It is my turn to pay."

Fye's hand went back to stirring his fork and playing with the food on the plate in front of him, his eyes cast downward. "No. It's not the food. As always Kuro-chu has wonderful taste in restaurants."

"Then why aren't you eating?" Fye shook his head. "Fye!" Kurogane yelled the blond in a heated whisper. "I know you. You're an assassin, you like wine and champagne, you gave a grin that can put stars in the eyes of any woman, you love sweet things, particularly chocolate. I know all these things about you. I also know that I don't know everything. I want to know everything. I want to get inside your head, to know what makes you run. That means you have to give me more information than the food is okay. You told me that you were 'programmed' to not lie!"

Fye stared at the doctor for a minute with a slightly open mouth. Only when his fork slipped from his fingers and clattered against the table did he seem to come back to reality. "Kuro-myu, you're wonderful." That bedazzling smile came to Fye's face and it made Kurogane want to growl. "But you don't really want to get inside my head, you don't want to get inside my life that I don't already include you in. It would drive you away for sure."

"Idiot. The only thing I can think of that would possibly drive me away were if I were to find out that you were an assassin and I knew that from the beginning so no matter what you tell me, I'll be here for you!"

The smile brightened even more and Fye shook his head again. "Kuro-puppy is so simple minded. I'm much sure than just a simple assassin."

"Fye. What's wrong?"

Fye stayed quiet, seeming like he wasn't going to answer. Kurogane opened his mouth to scold the blond, but Fye's new words cut him off. "Do you know any other assassins? Or maybe just someone who does really odd jobs?"

The doctor blinked at the seemingly random question. "No. Why?"

Fye waved his hand as if it were nothing. "I just need a partner for my next job and I was hoping that there was something Kuro-wan knew and trusted..."

"I'll do it."

Fye flinched as if an anvil had been dropped on his head. "What?"

"Whatever it is that you need. I'll do it for you."

Fye gave a sour laugh, showing that he didn't believe Kurogane to be serious. "It's an extended job. And it requires traveling out of this fine city we live in. Plus, I'd have to give you a lot of information."

"Even better."

The blue-eyed man sighed, "But Kuro-chan, you're already a doctor."

"I don't care. I want this job." If he could work with Fye, he's get more information about him, which was what he wanted more than almost anything else in the world. "Come on, give me a good reason why you shouldn't hire me."

Fye bit his lip. Kurogane was perfectly able. He was stronger than Fye, after all the man could hold him down against his own tub. He could defend himself, almost being able to hold off a determined F.A.I. and then being able to knock him away with a simple object like a suitcase. Also he was a good actor, he had been able to trick Fye into thinking that he had been knocked out. There was only one reason Fye could think of for not hiring him. "Because I don't want my lover to be harmed."

"I don't want my lover to be harmed either, but you're going." For a moment Fye stared at him with eyes that asked how dare he play a card such as that, but after that moment the eyes closed and Kurogane knew he had won. "So, what are we doing?"

The assassin sighed again and placed his chin on the edge of the table, not looking to thrilled about his defeat, "I'll tell you the details when we get back to your house."

* * *

The clicking of the keyboard was heard throughout the room. Kurogane sat behind Fye, looking over his shoulder at the laptop screen. He was surprised at how computer literate Fye truly was, and this was not the only thing that had surprised him. In fact, almost everything Fye had showed him since they had gotten into the small guest room had surprised him. He hadn't had any idea to the fact that being an assassin was so complicated.

"This part is boring to watch. Here." Fye picked up a folder and passed it to the doctor. "Look through it. Memorize every picture."

"All right." Kurogane took the folder and began to look through it. A picture of a young teenager caught his eye. He held the picture up to Fye, comparing their features. The coloring was completely wrong, but it did look like they could be related. "Fye?"

"Hm?" From the laptop there came a beeping sound and Fye cursed. The tapping of the keyboard became louder and, if possible, more determined.

"Are you related to Kamui?"

"No." Fye said simply. "Kamui isn't related to anyone."

"His family is all dead?"

"No."

Kurogane raised an eyebrow. "That doesn't make sense."

"Of course it doesn't. You're from the outside. You were never inside. You never had to deal with the government, and powers like mine. Kamui doesn't have any relations because he wasn't born. He was made."

Kurogane's eyes widened and the picture slipped from his fingers. "What?"

"Kamui is an F.A.I. otherwise known as an Federal Artificial Intelligence. In fact he was not even given the name Kamui when he was made, he was given a number, 686. F.A.I. are almost all government created creatures used as experiments for assassinations, kidnapping, general dirty jobs, and lastly...powers that involve strange golden eyes." The typing stopped and Fye looked to Kurogane.

Kurogane's eyes got wide. When he had met Fye...he had possessed golden eyes and used strange powers. "You're..."

Fye nodded. "Indeed, I am a government experiment. I am an F.A.I. but I am not created, like all the others, but that is a different story. I'll only include myself in the story if need be." Fye picked up the picture of Kamui. "Yes. He looks like me, because he was created to be me. In a sense at any rate. He was made to be a hybrid, better, stronger, faster, more powerful. And in general, he was. However, a few months after he was made, the funding for the project stopped and all F.A.I. were released into the general public."

Fye set the picture down and picked up a folder that he had not let Kurogane touch. "About a week before we met, I was assigned to kill all the F.A.I. that were listed in this folder because they were becoming dangerous. I was not listed or put on a list to kill because somewhere...I'm a real person and I will probably just go to a normal life eventually. At least that is my guess at their logic."

Kurogane shook his head to keep his mind on the topic of other A.I.'s and not just Fye. "So we're going to kill Kamui?"

"Wrong. We're going to save him. Another F.A.I. who called himself Subaru paid me to save him. In my business the one who gives me the most money wins and Subaru gave me more money. So what we're doing is kidnapping Kamui and taking him elsewhere so he'll hopefully be safe."

"Why do you need a partner for that?"

"I am number 685. He is number 686. He is based off me. Put the pieces together Kuro-sama."

Kurogane thought on it for a long minute before it clicked. "You know each other too well, and you need an edge."

"Exactly."

"So where are we taking Kamui?"

"To Clow Reed and Ashura Flourite. They run a safe haven for lost teenagers, and trust me, Kamui is lost." The strokes of the keyboard could be heard again.

"What else do I need to know?"

"Beware of Kamui's touches, especially when his eyes are gold. He'll kill you in a second, but other than that, no. You don't need to know anything more than that."

"Then tell me."

The typing paused for a second. "About what?"

"You."

"You're my partner. I don't need to give you my personal story."

"I'm your lover, I will find out eventually."

"It's better if you didn't know."

"For who?"

Fye shut the laptop. "How much do you want to know?"

"Everything."

"No..." Fai set the laptop down on the mattress and crawled back to where Kurogane now sat. "I mean how much do you want to know. What is it worth to you? What would you be willing to do if I told you?"

"A lot. I'd do a lot to know. Because if I knew, I could help you."

Fye smiled brightly. "No. You couldn't, but you've proven once again that Kuro-koi is wonderful."

Kurogane reached out and ran his fingers through the blond locks of Fye's hair. "Tell me...Please, and you know how often I say that word."

"Will you still be gentle with me if I tell you? Will you still look at me with eyes that say you could possibly love me, will you not use me for lust? Will you stay? And not run?"

"Of course, why would you ask such things?!"

Fye just smiled and pushed Kurogane down into a lying position before he lay on top of him, resting his head against his chest. "Then I will tell you." Long fingers played with a button on Kurogane's shirt as he started. "When I first woke up I asked where I was. I had no idea where I was, who the people in front of me were. I had no idea what I looked like, who I was even. I had no idea of anything. My mind was like a empty canvas, there waiting to be filled with bright, colorful paints.

"They told me it didn't matter where I was. I said 'oh' and asked who I was. They said I was number 685. I asked if I had a name with letters, and they said no. They said that the answer was no because I was a worthless being, created only to be used, and thus I did not deserve a name with letters. Normally a person would feel anger or sadness at this, but I did not. At the time I was incapable of emotion.

"Other than that, it wasn't too bad at first. I was gifted. I was strong, fast, smart. They liked me. I was obedient. I could smile and fool the world into thinking I had emotions! To them I was the best thing before and since sliced bread."

Fye lifted his head and smiled. Kurogane on the other hand, frowned. That was horrible, to be told that you were worthless... "What happened?"

"It broke. After about two years I began to really feel emotions. I began to be...real. I began to want to be real. I didn't just do the jobs anymore, I went out, I talked to people. I learned, I learned things that some didn't want me to, but other things people loved that I learned. It made them use me in new ways."

"New ways?"

Fye nodded. "Remember back to when I woke up in my car and you were sitting on my knees?"

"Of course."

"I asked you if you were some kind of a rapist. You probably thought I was joking. Remember when you asked me if I was twenty-five and never kissed? I replied with I had never been kissed as nicely as you had. You probably didn't think anything of that either. I was serious." Fye waited for realization to come to Kurogane's face. "I learned about sex, I learned about attraction, I learned about life, and children, and love I learned and learned about these things and the people who had helped me, 'created' me, trained me, exploited this knowledge whenever they pleased."

Fye's fingers gripped tightly to Kurogane's shirt. "I hated it. I hated it and I hated them for making me hate it. I hated them for not letting me say no. I hated that I had no control. I hated that they used this to teach me new emotions I never wanted to feel. Hate, anger, sadness, hurt, pain, loneliness, want."

"Want?"

Fye nodded softly and smiled sadly. "Want for someone who would be nice to me. Want for someone who wouldn't just use me and then leave me. The want for someone like you." Fye sat up a little bit and leaned down to kiss Kurogane's lips. "At any rate, I started to hate the people around me, but I was still obedient. I thought I had no choice. After all, when I started to lie about emotions and other small things they just programmed me to not lie unless it was to a person on a job. They were as powerful as gods to me.

"Even with my emotions I was a success for them. I could still kill, I could take any kind of pain they threw at me. Because of what they had done to me my emotions were mostly negitive, hate and anger that I would hide under smiles and jokes. They liked this, because with hate and anger I disliked everyone around me and didn't care about who I was killing. I didn't care about the innocent that might be hurt, and the jokes and smiles could trick them all into thinking I was normal until the time was right." Fai placed his hands at Kurogane's face. "They had wanted a monster in human clothing, and they got it."

"You're not..." Fye kept on speaking, not letting Kurogane say what he wanted to.

"Then they made Kamui. Other F.A.I. were failing. Killing themselves usually. While I got emotions, I was pretty stable. Kamui and I were a test to see if they could take someone who had been living previously, and use that person to make artificial intelligences that would be just as loyal and not go insane as the artificial A.I."

Fye shrugged, "It worked...except Kamui wasn't loyal. He was supposed to be my partner, but he constantly ran away from me, he yelled at our superiors, yelled at me, screamed at me."

"Why?" Kurogane didn't understand. Why would Kamui scream at Fye?

"Because. I was there, and the reason he was there was because I was there first.

"We worked together, most jobs were okay, even if we didn't like each other were knew each other inside and out and could work in sync...when he was there.

"This didn't last terribly long. A few months after the appearance of Kamui the funding was cut off and the experiment deemed a failure. They were to let all the F.A.I. go. I had been happy when we learned that we would be released, but Kamui...woah. He...just went wild...I've never seen anyone so genuinely happy."

"So you were let out?"

"Yes. And I began to search for me. I knew I was born, not created, but I had no idea who I was. So I looked and looked all over the world until I found tapes, tapes that contained a person who looked like me. Tapes of Fye and his family. So I decided I was Fye. It was a name with letters. A name...I was no longer a horrid, worthless number. That was the happiest day of my life...until this morning."

"What happened this morning?"

"You told me you wanted me...for more than they did. You didn't just want to use me. It didn't sink in right away, in fact so many other memories prevented me from being happy until you were at work and I was here. I think it really sunk in after I found the cocoa puffs..."

"Ah, so you did find them."

Fye nodded. "After I discovered the name Fye I settled down in this city and searched for the rest of the tapes. I learned that there were about fifteen originally, but there was no guarantee that they were all out there. I found some, did assassin jobs, slept, ate, drank until I was told to kill the others like me. You know the rest of the story."

"So that's it?" Fye nodded. "Well, while I feel horrible now for making you say, I'm still not running away."

"I'm glad. You're everything I could have wanted and more, even back then."

"So what now?"

Fye sat up and went back to his laptop, opening it to go back to his typing. "I go back to work, you look through that folder and we forget this conversation."

"I have a better idea..."

"Yes?"

"Bed. It's late. Come on."

"But It's early for me!" Kurogane grabbed Fye around the waist and pulled the man along not letting Fye argue. He knew that must have been hard for him. To tell him all that, especially the part about what happened to him after he lost his ignorance. Kurogane fully intended to make it worth it for the blond, no matter what that meant he had to do.

Kurogane sat Fye down on his bed and surveyed the blond over for a minute before speaking. "Don't you have bed clothes?" Every time Kurogane had gone over to Fye's apartment and forced the blond to give up his pillow and go out with him, he had never been wearing anything remotely resembling pajamas.

Fye shook his head, "No. I sleep in what I'm wearing when I go to bed."

"Isn't that uncomfortable and stiff?"

"Not that I know of, should it be?"

Kurogane sighed and went into his drawers pulling out a clean pair of night clothes and tossed them at Fye. "Wear those."

"You think I can wear these? You're about twice my size Kuro-tan."

"It'll be more comfortable than sleeping in your day clothes. Especially your clothes, I sometimes wonder how you move in them, they seem to be so close-fitting on you..." Kurogane shook his head, "At any rate, you change, I'll be back." He saw Fye nod and he left, going into his bathroom and changing into his own bedclothes.

When the doctor came back into the room he looked at Fye and laughed. It was too damn cute. Sure enough, Kurogane's clothes were far too big for Fye and him wearing them made him look like a little kid who had decided to play dress-up in their parents closet while the babysitter talked on the phone.

Fye went bright red at Kurogane's laughs. "Shut up! You were the one who made me wear them!"

"You're too cute..." Kurogane walked over the bed, crawled past Fye and pulled back the covers. "Come now, sleep with me."

Fye sighed and laid down carefully as to not fall or trip over the excess cloth. "How am I supposed to sleep in this if I can barely move?"

"Just trust me." The blankets covered them and the light was turned off. For a long time Kurogane could feel Fye twisting and turning trying to get comfortable, but at last he was still and the doctor knew that he had fallen asleep. He hoped that the blond had good dreams.


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: Okay, at first I really thought this chapter sucked, but now, not so much, it actually worked out pretty much how I wanted it to. This story is coming pretty close to a close...I can count up to six-seven chapters more in all, including a couple spare chapters if I find I missed something.

Whatever happens, I hope I continue to rock this story.

Read, review, enjoy.

* * *

"Yes, you can hear me correctly...No, the running water in the background is not affecting your hearing...I want a week off...Yes I know I'm the only doctor in my field at our hospital, but other doctors can fill in...I've been planning this for a few days now. I left a good folder of notes on my desk, just have the substitute read them...Yes I'm sure...Thank you, good bye." At long last Kurogane clicked the cellphone shut and placed it in his pocket.

The doctor was in a very strange place for a telephone conversation, believe it or not, he was in the bathroom. You could hear running water coming from behind a curtain, which one of Kurogane's hands disappeared behind. The second the cellphone had been turned off Fye's voice came from behind the curtain. "You know, you can let me go now. I won't fall again."

Kurogane chuckled. "After your last demonstration of grace I'm not going to trust your judgement this early in the morning."

"It's seven-thirty. The morning is over halfway over."

"Fye, just wash up so we can go."

There was a long pause. "Can I ask a question?"

"Go ahead."

"How am I supposed to 'wash up' when you have such a tight grip on my shoulder that I can't reach the soap?" Kurogane sighed, let go of Fye's shoulder and watched the shadow behind the curtain, that was Fye, do various things behind the shower curtain in a hurried fashion before the sound of running water suddenly stopped.

After a couple more minutes the sound of Fye's voice was heard again. "Kuro-chu, hand me my clothes please?"

"What? You're not going to just come out? Why not? I've already seen everything you--"

Fye's embarrassed scream overshadowed Kurogane's words, "Pervert! Give me my clothes!"

Kurogane chuckled at Fai's reaction and picked up the stack of clothes that Fye had left out the night before. "Does handing you your clothes include your socks and shoes?"

"No." Kurogane passed the clothes, minus socks and shoes, behind the curtain and in what seemed to be record time Fye came from the bath fully dressed.

The blond then proceeded to pull on his socks and shoes, mess with his hair until it lay flat on his head, brush his teeth until they seemed to gleam and put some sort of lotion on his hands that smelled oddly like sandalwood... Kurogane had no doubt in his mind that if Fye felt he had the time that he would give himself a manicure and a pedicure. Although Fye denied it most of the time, Kurogane had found over the last few days of living together that his lover was obsessed with the way he looked.

"You ready?"

"Yep. Let's go." The pair of men walked out of the room and down the stairs, out of the house, and into Fye's blue Subaru. The stuff that they would need was already in the back of the car, and Kurogane looked back to their home that they wouldn't see for a couple days at the very least.

"So. Why did you have me wake you up at seven a.m. anyway?"

"Because," Fye laughed a little bit as he started the engine, "I knew that if I set an alarm clock that it would go off and bug me until I reached out and threw it against the wall. You, on the other hand, have proven to me time and time again that you won't leave me alone no matter how many times I throw you against the wall."

Even though Fye's statement was true, no alarm clock was going to wake Fye up, Kurogane growled a little bit as it did not answer his question. "You know what I meant."

Fye sighed, "Because Kuro-koi, I have things we need to do and it'll take about two hours to get to our destination."

"But we don't have to be there until one in the afternoon!"

"Even if we're early, it can be a good thing to be early."

No more arguments were heard as Fye put the car in gear and drove on. The places Fye had wanted to stop at included breakfast, which Fye insisted on paying for, going to a grocery store, and then going to a place Kurogane had never even seen from the road before. "What is this place?" Kurogane asked as he looked around the shop Fye had dragged him into. "The Assassin's Store?"

Fye chuckled and he looked at various, curious goods. "It may not say that on the sign outside the door, but that's pretty much what it is. Kuro-myu is so smart."

"So why are we here? I thought you already had an arsenal of weapons."

"I do." Fye picked something up, turned around, and placed it in Kurogane's hand. "I'm shopping for you."

The doctor looked down at the item that had been placed in his hand and he almost dropped it, "You're buying me a gun?!" He whisper-yelled at Fye.

"A stun gun. You're not an assassin, so you technically can't kill. However, you can defend yourself." Kurogane decided that if he hadn't already decided this he was to take note of it now, Fye was insane.

The blond dragged Kurogane around practically every square inch of the store and had both added and subtracted from the pile of merchandise as they went. Finally, Fye began to head toward the checkout. "Fye? Are you sure all this stuff is necissary?"

"Of course!"

"Even the hat?"

"Of course! The hat looks so good, it's hard to resist." Kurogane wasn't much of a hat person, but since Fye wanted it...geez, he was starting to think of Fye as if he were a wife!

As they got up front, Kurogane heard chuckling. He looked over his shoulder and there were a few other customers, presumably other assassins, pointing and chuckling at Fye. "Uh...Fye?" Kurogane pointed this out to the blond and Fye only seemed to go red in the face, get very irritated, hurry to pay, and get out of the store.

"So what was that about?" Kurogane asked after Fye had stuffed their purchases in their trunk and got on the road again. "The laughing."

"Nothing."

"Fye..."

"Nothing!" Fye grumbled for a moment. "They think I'm too small."

Kurogane raised an eyebrow and chuckled himself, "What does that mean?"

"I'm too small."

"You're pretty tall..."

"Yes, but...what did they look like?"

Kurogane thought on it for a moment. "I guess they looked like me in some ways, at least body structure. Big, fairly muscular...oh..." Now Kurogane understood. Those other assassins had been macho and tough. Fye wasn't like that at all, Fye was almost girlish and delicate looking.

"Yeah. Exactly. I'm pretty much the laughing stock of my entire occupation. 'Look at Fye! He's so skinny!' I do ten times a better job then any other assassin in our city and yet I'm still laughed at. They act like jealous high school girls."

"If you do a better job...why does it matter?"

Fye snorted. "Performance means nothing in my field if you don't have the looks to back it up. If any potential customer were to put me and one of those men next to each other and then decide who they'd hire, they'd hire the other guy, because he looks like he'll do a more thorough job. I'm not mad about that though, really it keeps me out of trouble, because only the smart people and well paying people hire me. I'm not going to be hired to kill little Johnny down the street, or some guy who is more powerful than me. And I get paid more for doing less. So even if they laugh at me, I've still got the upper hand. They just don't know that."

"You looked pretty upset back there."

Fye laughed and shook his head slightly. "Of course I did! As a doctor what do you want more than success at helping your patients?"

Kurogane thought on this for a moment, "The respect of your colleagues and the people around you."

"Exactly. I don't have that, and I never will, just because I'm skinny."

"That sucks."

Fye seemed to pout as he leaned his chin against the stirring wheel. "Yeah. It really does."

* * *

"Hey. Is something wrong?" Kurogane frowned as Fye reached over in a hurried fashion and turned off the radio. For the last hour or so the blond had been very pleased to hear songs float out from the speakers and Kurogane had been happy to see Fye happy...not to mention that he also enjoyed Fye's lovely singing voice. Fye himself had blushed profusely when the doctor had mentioned the light singing under his breath, but he really did have a nice voice.

Because of all this Kurogane was a bit upset when the speakers went dead. "Nothings wrong...just I have to watch now. You watch too."

"For Kamui?" Fye nodded. Looking at the clock Kurogane realized it was exactly one o'clock. "You take your job very seriously..."

"Shh." The voice was commanding and Kurogane watched as the blond in front of him seemed to transform from the small kitten he usually seemed to be, into a large cat, stalking it's prey. The prey was no mouse either, you could see that from his face, no, this prey was just as big as the cat that hunted it, if not bigger. "Do you have the stun gun I got you?"

"Yes."

"Do you remember how to use it?"

"Yes."

"Good." For a long time Fye was silent, thirty minutes at least, if not more. Then Fye pounced on Kurogane's arm and turned back into the kitten, spitting and hissing as he pointed out the window. "He's over there!" Sure enough, when Kurogane looked, there was the teenaged boy that had been in the photo he'd seen. In real life, he looked less like Fye, but there was still some resemblance.

"What do you want to do?"

Fye hushed him in a hurried whisper. "We can't lose him here. He's hard to catch, I had to do a lot of calculating to get this right time and place, if we lose him, we'll start over again, because he won't come here again, he's not stupid. He knows me. However, he doesn't know you. Approach him. Keep the stun gun at your fingertips, but don't draw it unless he figures it out and tries to touch you when he has golden eyes. I'll try to get him from behind, okay?"

Kurogane could see in Fye's blue orbs that this was not really the entire plan, but that Fye didn't trust Kurogane to understand the entire plan. He was okay with that, so he nodded. "Okay."

The blond pushed him toward his door. "Go on!"

Kurogane got out of the car slowly and as quietly as he could following Kamui and tapping the teen on the shoulder, approaching him just as Fye had told him to. Kamui quickly spun around and grabbed at Kurogane's wrist, squeezing it so tightly that instantly the doctor knew why Fye was being so careful.

"What?" Kamui's voice was cold, distant, and dangerous. It was the exact opposite of what Fye's voice was like, but Kurogane wondered if at one time Fye had sounded like that too. The very thought made Kurogane want to cringe.

"Well, you see I'm not from around here and I have no idea how to get to where I want to go from here and..."

"You're speaking quickly. You're nervous. Why are you nervous?"

Kurogane blinked. Wow, this guy was suspicious from the start. "Well you are intimidating..."

"Then why did you talk to me?" Kurogane rubbed the back of his head. "Are you some kind of a masochist?" Kamui shed a smile that was not even close to Fye's. It was evil almost, as if he enjoyed torturing his victims in this way.

"No. I dislike pain." Was this how all F.A.I.'s acted? Did they all seem to have no emotion at all behind their actions? Were they all this frightening?

"You aren't?" Kurogane nodded once. "Well then..." Kamui reached out, grabbing to Kurogane's arm and bringing it up to his face. "I thought so."

The doctor's eyes narrowed. "Thought what?"

"You smell like him. Fye." Kamui's eyes gently closed. "You're an assistant of his. Aren't you? Ah...Fye was never dumb." Kamui sighed as if he were thinking back on fond memories. "Come out you murderer!" The teenaged boy's hand gripped even more tightly to Kurogane's arm as he yelled.

Slowly Kurogane saw Fye come from in between two cars. The very scene he was now in reminded him of some action movie. Except the beautiful, foreign woman was replaced by Fye who may have been pretty in Kurogane's eyes, but was not foreign. "Let him go Kamui." The blond's voice dripped with a tone that Kurogane could not identify. It was between hate, and over-protectiveness. As the red-eyed man looked at the assassin, he saw that despite Fye's new-found reluctance to kill people, he had his signature pistol in his hand.

"Oh, dear Fye, you've gotten rusty, you care? You hired someone you actually care about?" Kamui looked up at Kurogane and tilted his head a little cluelessly. "Well...he is your type. He looks a lot like the people who "took care" of you at--"

"Shut up!" Fye screamed and it sunk into Kurogane's head what Kamui meant by 'Fye's type.' It made him want to kill the boy, whether he was an assassin or not. "Let him go. We're not here to kill you."

"Oh yeah?" Kamui snorted, "I bet you said the same thing to Subaru and Fuuma! You said the exact same thing didn't you? As you pointed a pistol at their heads!"

"No! I didn't say that to Subaru! I didn't even want to kill Subaru! Kamui! Stop this foolishness and listen to me!"

"Oh? What did you say to Subaru?" Kamui's eyes thankfully remained their normal color, but he rested his head on Kurogane's arm, his fingers wrapped tightly around that wrist.

This action elicited an angry and jealous growl from Fye as he answered, "Sleep well."

"And Fuuma?"

"What's his number?"

Kamui blinked in surprise. "He doesn't have one. He's a real person. He disappeared about a week ago..."

Fye shook his head very gently, his lips moving every so slightly and his eyes turning golden as he spoke, "Then I didn't kill him."

"Liar." Kamui turned his face into the sweater and took a deep breath, "This man...he really smells like you. The scent is seeped in his clothes and skin. You must be really close." There was a pause before the next words came from Kamui's lips. "Perhaps if I kill him, you'll see the pain you're putting me and other F.A.I. through."

As Kamui opened his eyes Kurogane saw that they had turned golden. Just like Fye's. Remembering what Fye told him Kurogane pulled away quickly, for a moment escaping from his grasp, but then Kamui's hand darted out and grabbed onto him again.

Kurogane shut his eyes, there wasn't enough time to grab his stun-gun...

A shot was heard and a pinging sound shot past his ears before he heard a screaming yell and Kamui let go. "Kurogane! Get away from him! Now! Kamui! Touch him again and I will kill you, no matter what I was told in the assignment." Kurogane looked to Fye. The determined look on his face was slightly shaky hands gripped to the smoking pistol.

Looking to Kamui he saw that while Fye had shot him, it was no where close to a fatal wound. Shot through the arm, painful, but not deadly. "Bastard. Fine, if I can't kill him in front of you...I'll just kill you first." As Kamui let go of the bleeding wound in his arm he began to run forward, the pain seeming to be unimportant in comparison to getting rid of one or the other of them.

Fye didn't move at all. He stood still as if he felt that he deserved whatever Kamui was going to throw at him. Kurogane couldn't allow that. He couldn't allow it when they had first met and he definitely couldn't allow it now. As quickly as he could he reached back and pulled the stun gun out. He pulled the knob and shot it.

Kamui's yell filled the air for a moment before the boy fell to the ground obviously unconscious. Fye looked from the body, to Kurogane, to Kamui. The blond then put the pistol away and went over to the boy's form. "My **god **Kuro-sama! What did you have that set to!?"

"Whatever it was set at..." Kurogane looked at the side where the voltage gage was and he made a gasping noise. "At the highest setting..."

"No wonder!" Fye sighed. "Well, at least we have him. And at least you were good for two things. Distraction and finishing move..." The blond moved the boy and picked him up into his arms, setting Kamui on his shoulder. "We'll get this arm bandaged and then head off...oh yeah, we have to tie his hands, fingers, and feet."

"We have to go so far as tieing his fingers together?"

"Of course. When you can kill someone by touching them, you have to be locked up very carefully. Come on now." The voice was as if nothing else in the world was more natural.

"Er...Fye?"

"Yes?" The blond opened the back door of the Subaru he drove.

"Er...we just did this whole thing in the middle of a parking lot in the middle of the day. Why did no one else seem to notice?"

Fye grinned. "You've never been around an assassin at work before have you?" When Kurogane shook his head Fye gave a laughing sigh. "We're careful about times and places. Also a lot more people are used to assassins than you think. In the city we're considered beings of the lawless night, but out here in the country, we're almost like the police. Almost. Now come on. Before he wakes up. You're the doctor. Take care of his arm."

As Kurogane came over Fye chuckled. "What?"

"One more thing Kuro-chu."

"Hm?"

"I love you, but you must never be an assassin. You suck at it."

Kurogane stuck his tongue out at Fye jokingly. "I love you too."


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: This chapter has officially been beta'd! Yes! Normally I am the type of person that hates being told anything at all, because I'm a stuck up person that hates to be told I'm wrong, but I just love my beta because when I go through her corrections I can see exactly why she says it and it doesn't make me angry at all!

Anyway, the beta was kinda the reason for the long wait on this chapter, but trust me, it's worth it.

Hope you; read, review, and enjoy.

* * *

"Hey, Blondie."

There was a sigh and Kurogane's red eyes looked away from the back seat of the car toward Fye. The man kept his eyes straight ahead on the road, assuring that they wouldn't crash, but still a frown lined his face, his eyebrows knit uncharacteristically. "Why have you taken up calling me 'Blondie'?"

"You have nicknames for me...hey, would you rather I called you 'Fye-kitty' or 'Fye-kit'?"

"Do you want an honest answer?"

"Yeah, let's make it an honest answer."

Fye chuckled, "Then yes, I'd rather be called Fye-kitty or Fye-kit."

"All right." There was a short pause. "So Fye-kit?"

"Yes Kuro-pup?"

"I think he's waking up." There was another pause before Fye took one hand off the steering wheel and reached into his pocket. After a moment the hand reemerged and he held out a pair of earplugs for Kurogane to take. "What the hell are these for?"

"I was thinking that you could balance one on each index finger and see which one falls off first. It'll entertain Kamui to no end...Put them in your ears, Idiot."

"Why?"

Fye just sighed again, "Who worked with this kid?"

"You did."

"Yes, now trust me and put the damn things in your ears before he wakes up." Kurogane raised an eyebrow at the difference he could see in Fye. It wasn't that he was colder, he had known that was going to come with the job, but he was so much more serious. He swore more, didn't let Kurogane joke, and only joked himself when he seemed to get annoyed. Kurogane blamed the government for this, since he didn't have anyone else he could blame.

Carefully reaching out, Kurogane took the objects from Fye and placed them snuggly in his ears.

Not two minutes later he was very glad he had obeyed Fye. He felt Kamui sit up in the back seat and then, as clear as day Kamui's sheer pitched scream filled the car. "You tied my fingers together!? You sick freak!" The sound was almost loud enough that Kurogane wanted to put his hands to his ears even though he had the ear plugs in them already.

He looked to Fye. Fye was now speaking, although Kurogane couldn't make out a word of Fye's speech, his own ears seeming to be fine even though his ears were devoid of any protection. Kurogane supposed that this was logical, like Fye had said, he'd worked with Kamui. If he knew that Kamui was going to scream like that the teen must have screamed like that before. Which also led to the thought that Fye had grown quite used to it during his time with Kamui.

After a minute or so Fye stopped talking and apparently Kamui started speaking again. Kurogane couldn't be sure because he couldn't see Kamui's lips move from his position, and he couldn't hear his words this time, but he was suddenly sure Kamui had spoken. It was obvious from Fye's next actions. The blond's eyes grew wide, then narrowed into a glare and he pulled onto the shoulder of the highway. He then proceeded to undo his seatbelt, turn around in his seat, grab Kamui's chin in a rough manner and then yell loud enough for Kurogane to hear the first few words. "Listen up you little brat!" Kurogane was sure that more words came after that, but he couldn't understand them.

Kurogane watched the clock. He started watching at 5:47 p.m. and stopped at 5:53 p.m. when Fye finally turned back around in his seat, put the seat belt back on and made motions toward his ears for Kurogane to take the earplugs out. "You sure?" Fye nodded and the doctor obeyed. "Is he going to be obedient now?"

Fye chuckled, "I would never call him obedient, only patient and curious. He's now curious to see where we're taking him, aren't you, Kamui?"

"Yeah. Curious would be one way of putting it, Fye."

* * *

"You expect us to get out of the car, walk up to that, knock on the door, and present ourselves looking like this?! You can't be serious Fye!"

"Ah, but I am." The actions in question were them getting out of the car dressed all in black and walk up to the front door of the house they were in front of. Normally, Kurogane would have no problems with doing such a thing, but this case was...a little different. The house was what one might call picture perfect. A white picket fence, perfect paint job, perfect everything, right down to the sunlight hitting it all in just the right way to make it sparkle. Kurogane and Kamui would be completely out of place with their black clothes and dark hair, and Fye would be half out place with black clothes, but half in place with his blond hair. "Come now, out of the car and toward the house!"

Obediently, they clambered out of the car and while Fye seemed to be walking on clouds as he went up to the door, the other two were anything but enthusiastic. "Has he always acted like this?" Kurogane mumbled to Kamui.

The teen raised an eyebrow. "Like this? Happy?" Kurogane nodded. "Not usually, in fact when I knew him he only acted happy when he was around people he felt he needed to be happy around, but when we were alone, he never smiled." Kamui shrugged, "So, in answer to your real question, he might just be acting for you, or he might really be pleased. Go with whatever makes you sleep at night."

Kurogane snorted and walked directly up to Fye's side, taking his hand and holding it gently. Fye's eyes widened with surprise, but when he looked to Kurogane he smiled and squeezed the hand that held his. "Kamui is still behind us?"

"Yeah."

"Good." The blond brought up a hand and knocked against the door in loud rapping noises. As he brought his hand down the door opened as if the person behind it had been waiting there the entire time. The person behind it had long black hair that was held back in a ponytail and he wore glasses on his face.

"May I help you?" The man had a soft voice that was both fatherly and comforting.

Slowly Fye nodded, "Are you Clow Reed, or Ashura Flourite?"

The man chuckled, "I am Clow Reed. What can I do for you?"

Fye pulled his hand away from Kurogane's and reached behind him, gripping to Kamui's shoulder and pulling the boy in front of him. "I actually have two requests. Do you have any room for this boy? He's about seventeen, but he's having quite a lot of trouble getting along with people who aren't exactly like him. I can't very well send him out into the world if he can't get along with the people around him."

"Are you related?"

"No, unfortunately he doesn't have a true relation in the world. I've just known him for a couple years, that's all. Can you take him?"

"Of course we can. We have about ten children at this time, but we still have plenty of room," Clow smiled down at Kamui. "So what is your name?"

For a moment Kamui just glared up at the man but then Kurogane noticed Fye frown and jabbed his thumb into the boy's back. Then Kurogane spoke, "You can call him Kamui."

"Just Kamui?"

"Yep, just that, he doesn't have a last name, at least, not that we know of." Fye grinned, which elicited a smile from the other man as well.

"Well, that's a shame, but we'll still be glad to take him. Thank you Mr..." Clow held out his hand to Fye and Kurogane saw Fye bite his lip, obviously showing that, like Kamui, Fye had never chosen a last name.

"Kurogane. Mr. Kurogane." Fye looked to his lover with wide eyes as Kurogane said this. "He's a little afraid of his last name, because it's the same as mine."

Clow looked a little surprised, "Oh, are you two related?"

"No, married."

"Wha--" Kurogane cut Fye off with a hand over his mouth.

"He's just afraid of what other people will say."

"Ah." Clow nodded. "That's understandable, even now gay marriage is a taboo to many people, but I won't judge you. Since you don't like speaking your last name, may I ask what your first name is?"

Fye looked to Kurogane with seething anger as he pulled the man's hand away, "Fye, Fye Kurogane." At last the blond reached out and shook the man's hand. "And as I said earlier, I have one other request."

"Speak it at will, Fye."

"May I speak to Ashura Flourite?"

"Be assured that it would be perfectly all right...if he were here. However he is out with the other children until early tomorrow morning. Is it possible that I could help you with whatever you want to know?"

Slowly Fye shook his head, "No, it can only be him." He paused, "It's more of a personal thing than a business thing."

"I see...well, are you two in a hurry to go home?" Fye looked to Kurogane who shook his head, and then Fye copied the action. "Well then, why don't you two stay here for the night? We have plenty of space with the house being empty until tomorrow, and I'd be glad to have two gentlemen such as yourselves stay here. Then you would get to see Ashura during breakfast."

"How does that sound Youou-chan?"

"What did you just call me?" The doctor looked to Fye's grinning face and knew that the Youou was somehow payback for the last name and the marriage excuse that he had given Clow. Kurogane found that to be completely unfair, he'd only been trying to help Fye, not piss him off. The assassin was just purely trying to piss him off.

"You heard me."

"It sounds great..." Kurogane growled.

* * *

Kurogane had been watching the two A.I.'s for almost five hours now. The word war was a little of an overstatement, but the word peace was the largest overstatement in the world. Fye tried for peace, mostly he would keep his mouth shut and would try to play nice with the younger one, but Kamui pushed at Fye's buttons constantly, the result of making Fye angry was about ten times worse than the result of making Kurogane angry.

"All right! That's enough! One more word and I'm putting you two in separate corners!" Fye looked to Kurogane and opened his mouth, "Ah! Not a word!" Fye sulked and shut his mouth, seeming to become half his size as he sunk in his seat. "Kamui, go to your room, now. It's ten o'clock."

Kamui looked to Fye and raised an eyebrow at him, "You never told him that we stay up late into the night and early morning did you?"

"I did...he just doesn't always let that happen..."

"Bed!"

"Pfft." Kamui stood to his feet and waved his hand back and forth in a very Fye-like way as he walked out of the room, "Sure, whatever."

"We should go to bed too Fye-kit, especially if we're going to be up first thing in the morning."

"If that's what you want Youou-chan."

Kurogane sighed, "Are you still angry at me for saying that we're married and saying you had my last name?"

"I'm not angry. I understand perfectly well why you did it. For that reason I am not angry with you. I'm..." Fye sighed and turned his head to Kurogane, "I don't know. It's not angry, it's not disappointed, it's not sad, and it's not even so much that it hurts here." Fye put his hand to his heart. "I don't know, but it makes me feel negative. Perhaps lonely is the best word, but not even that's right because you're here with me, now."

"Can you try to explain it?"

Kurogane held his arms out slightly and Fye sighed, standing up and moving before sitting on Kurogane's lap and resting his cheek against the man's chest. "I guess the simplest way of putting it is that even to say it is a promise that I can never imagine being kept..."

The doctor frowned, his hand running through the silken locks of Fye's hair. "What do you mean?"

"To say that...it means that not only do you want me, but you love me, that one day you might hand me a ring and ask me to take on your name..."

Kurogane raised an eyebrow and took Fye's hand lifting it up so that he could see it clearly, "Your fingers are so long, a ring would decorate them beautifully. I don't see what's so wrong about giving you one..."

Fye jammed his eyes shut and clenched the hand into a fist, "You don't understand Youou, I don't expect that to ever happen."

"Why not?"

"Because...I know that you'll find someone else, or you'll grow bored of me and you'll leave."

"Do you think me that fickle of a lover, Fye?"

"No...you're wonderful; loyal, gentle, loving, all the things I wanted, and all the things no one would expect from someone who looks like you. I...just can't see it happening to me. Something will go wrong, it always does."

"No. Listen to me. Are you listening to me?"

"Yes..."

"Good, I...I love you Fye. That's a lot to say to a man I've been dating for less than half a year, but it's true. I love you. I want you. I never want to be without you, I wanted to be near you so much I told you to live with me. I've never done that before Fye. If you want a ring, I'll go out tomorrow and buy you one, but don't think that! I won't leave you."

"Promise?"

"Of course, I don't say things I don't mean."

"You love me more than you love Yuui?"

"Yes. I loved Yuui, but I love you. You, Fye, not Yuui. I love you more now than I can ever remember loving him..."

Fye chuckled a chilly, lonely chuckle that held a small hint of happiness behind it as he pulled himself up and kissed Kurogane's lips. "I love you too...Kuro-chan. I love you more than anything else."

"I'm glad, now, what kind of ring do you want?"

Fye's chuckle became a laugh, "Whatever Kuro-tan gets me will be the best thing I could imagine, simply because he thought of me when he bought it."

"Not specific enough..."

"Come on...let's go to bed."

"You feel okay?" Kurogane asked as Fye removed himself from the doctor's lap. "I don't think I have ever even imagined those words coming from your mouth."

"Hm...they only come from my mouth when I'm changing the subject. Come now, bedtime."

Kurogane sighed as he stood to his feet and followed Fye from the room, "I should have known. Is it too much of me to ask you to go to bed at a godly hour and really want to go to bed?"

"Of course it is, you're talking to a cat."

"How forgetful I am..."

* * *

"You two are just playing a joke on me, right? You're not seriously dragging him out of his room still asleep."

Fye yawned and then handed Kamui's wrists to Kurogane, "If a herd of cows stampeded across the hall right now, he would be trampled to death because nothing but a dose of cold water is going to wake him up. I didn't think Clow Reed would be pleased if I got his bed soaked with water so we're taking him to the bathroom and drowning him in the sink." The blond yawned again. "I'm going to fill the sink, follow with him."

As Kurogane hoisted the teenager over his shoulder he realized that he had never been so glad that Fye was Fye and not someone else. At least Fye woke up when you took the blankets off of him and shook his shoulder. Mind you Fye was never too pleased with you for doing this and would glare at you for ten minutes and yawn until noon, but at least he got up.

"Okay, stick his head in the sink."

"Just like that? He'll drown!"

"No, he won't, just do it."

"Okay..." Kurogane obeyed and dumped Kamui's head face first into the sink.

Instantly, Kamui jerked and pulled out of the sink, gasping for air. "SIX EIGHTY-FIVE!"

"That's Fye to you, and you wouldn't wake up. You can't blame me for wanting to have Kuro-rin stick your head in a sink of cold water." Kurogane chuckled as he remembered when he himself had shoved Fye's head in a cold shower in attempt to wake him up.

Kamui turned to Fye with a glare, pointed a single finger at Fye's chest, sputtered water, opened his mouth, took in a deep breath, and then said nothing for about twenty seconds. "I don't even know where to start with all the things I want to say to you, so I'm not going to say anything."

Fye chuckled, "You already have...and I think I know what you want to say...go on, get dressed breakfast is in ten minutes. If I find you just went back to bed I'll have Kuro-chu throw you in a cold bath next time." The teen stalked off, hair still dripping wet as Fye laughed full out and clung onto Kurogane's arm. "Shall we go downstairs? Kamui won't be joining us for at least twenty minutes."

"What? Is he that slow to dress?"

"No, he's going to take that long to spite us, come on." The blond led the red-eyed man down the stairs and into the dining room where Clow Reed greeted them with a genuine smile and told them to sit.

"Do you two mind waiting a few more minutes? I just got a call and the others will be home in a quarter of an hour."

"Oh no, we don't mind, it'll get Fye five more minutes of sleep."

"Hey..." Fye spoke in mock-anger. "I may be slow in the morning, but when I get up, I get up." The man chuckled and left the room, leaving the pair alone and in silence until they heard movement and chattering in the other room.

It was loud, but not overly so, almost like a school hallway after the bell rang. A couple of people passed through the room and glanced at the two men who were obviously almost ten years older than they were. A minute later the voice of Clow could be heard talking to another man. "He's right in here, he wanted to speak with you so much that he was willing to stay overnight. I didn't ask what it was about, and I didn't pry, but, he seemed to want to speak with you very badly. It's probably very important."

Fye turned around in his seat to see Clow and another man who seemed vaguely familiar. Mid-back black hair and a kind smile. The smile faded as the man looked at Fye's face. It turned into a look of surprise, and then the man who was apparently Ashura looked to Clow. "Is that him?" Clow nodded, and Ashura looked back to Fye. His face turned from surprise to a parental-like anger as he reached out and grabbed onto Fye's ear. "Yuui Valeria! You are in so much trouble!"


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: The chapter count is at 2-3 chapters after this one in the main story and then a (hopefully) really long epilouge. In the next chapter I'll be introducing a lot of characters I should have introduced a long time ago, but they didn't fit in until here...they were supposed to come in before Kamui, but no! My plot disobeyed me again!

Read, review, enjoy.

* * *

"Ow! Let go!" Fai yelled trying to pull his head back out of Ashura's grip.

Ashura shook his head and quite violently wagged his finger in front of Fye's face, scolding him, "Where have you been Yuui!?"

The blond slapped at Ashura's hand, and at last Ashura let go, allowing Fye to reach up and gently caress his now red ear. "So...I am Yuui?"

"Of course you're Yuui!" Ashura snapped, "Don't come in here playing games! Who else would you be?!"

"Fye..."

"Have you no shame!? Fye's been dead for almost six years!" Kurogane watched Fye's eyes as they narrowed, widened, and the pupils nearly disappeared. "I always knew you were a joker Yuui, but really this is too much! You disappear for six years at the very same time that your parents are found dead and your brother dying, and all you can do when you reappear is that you think you're Fye?!"

"Shut up! Can't you see that you're hurting him?!" Kurogane's hands reached out to Fye and held the man close to his chest. He had never seen Fye cry, but he knew that if this man, Ashura, kept speaking that his beloved would cry, really cry, and that was the last thing he wanted to see coming from Fye's blue eyes. He, the doctor held Fye, he felt Fye hold on to his shirt and take in a deep breath.

Ashura's eyes snapped to Kurogane. "What right do you have to stop me? I have every right to yell at him for the words he's saying! Joking and playing, leaving for five years while his immediate family is dead?"

"He didn't know they were dead! He really did think he was Fye! He has amnesia you idiot! He didn't come back because he didn't know how to get here!"

"What? Amnesia? Yuui?"

"Yes..." Fye whimpered, clinging more to Kurogane's shirt. "I'm not lying. I really do think I'm Fye, I've thought that for almost three years. And then I only knew the first name. Only recently did I even learn of Yuui's existence. All I know is that I'm a man who looked like a boy in a video. I cannot remember anything before five years ago. Please, don't yell at me..."

"You...really, can't remember...anything Yuui?"

"Nothing, that's why I came here, to drop off Kamui, and to see you. I was told you could give me information about myself."

"You're truly serious?"

"Why would I lie?"

Ashura nodded, "Wait here." The man quickly left the room.

Clow bowed his head. "So...you're Yuui. I should have suspected something when you called yourself Fye..."

"Who is he to me?" Fye pulled himself off of Kurogane, sparing his lover a small smile that hardly carried to his eyes.

"He's your uncle and according to him, your godfather. He speaks about you a lot. It was always so fondly. He clearly loves you very much, please, don't take his words so harshly. He's just worried."

Slowly Fye shook his head, "No, I don't blame him. If I put myself in his shoes, I'd probably feel the very same way. It's just being called a liar and being yelled at for this...it hurts, you know?"

Clow nodded as Ashura came back into the room. "Here Yuui."

Fye's eyes looked down to Ashura's hands and Kurogane's followed. Carefully placed fingers held out an envelope that had yellowed and shrunk in size from its age. In faded black ink he could read the words 'For Yuui.'

So this Fye, the person he had fallen in love with, even deeper in love than he had been with Yuui, was Yuui...originally. Kurogane had no doubt in his mind, the Yuui he had known in college had died long ago. Perhaps deep within 'Fye' there was that original personality that was called Yuui, but the doctor knew, that Yuui and the person in front of him were two completely different people. He didn't care if they shared the same body. They were different, and no matter what he still loved the person in front of him, and not Yuui.

Kurogane hoped Fye knew that.

He saw Fye shakily reach out and take the envelope. "What is it?" He asked Ashura. "Surely it's not a will. By now all things that would have been mine would be..."

"Actually , I took everything of any importance, because I had faith that you would someday come back. I had faith because of the two words on the top of that envelope." Ashura sat down next to Fye, placing a hand on the blonde's shoulder. "Almost six years ago now, police found two bodies. The bodies of two adults. Your mother and father. They had been shot once each, in the back of the neck, killing them almost instantly."

"A-and the real Fye?"

Ashura sighed, "His fate was not so...kind. They found him alive. He was wandering around almost fifty miles from where your parents were found. They found him to be in some kind of insane shock, and they took him to the hospital, but he didn't even make it that far. He died on the way from some sort of seizure. They said he died begging them to find you and to give you this."

"Did they say anything else?"

"He continued to scream about a man, your parents' blood, and something about golden eyes."

Kurogane's eyes snapped to Fye when he heard the words golden eyes. All he saw was Fye looking very confused, but Kurogane knew that Fye wasn't confused. They both knew what was meant by golden eyes. "I see. That's all?"

"That's all. I never opened the letter, they just gave it to me saying I was probably the best person to hold onto it."

"I see." Carefully Fye's fingers opened the old envelope and pulled out a single piece of lined paper. Kurogane looked away, if Fye wanted to share the contents of it with him, he would, but he would not look over the blonde's shoulder to read something that had nothing to do with him. It wasn't his place.

After a couple of minutes he saw Fye shake his head and set the paper down. "It...would probably mean a lot to me if I could remember who I was and what happened. I can tell that it means a lot, but personally, it means nothing. I'm clueless."

"Perhaps one day it will mean something."

"Perhaps." Fye folded the paper and placed it back in its envelope. "I can hope. I really don't like being this way." Kurogane looked to Fye and saw him frowning and bowing his head to look solemnly at the ground before he grinned, and then looked to Ashura. "Thank you very much though! You've given me more information than I could have ever dreamed to have!"

Ashura chuckled in a bittersweet way. "It was no problem Yuui. I'm very glad to know that you're alive and well. You are well, aren't you?"

"Oh yes, I have Kurogane here, so I'll be great for a while. I have another question though."

"You haven't asked too many, so go ahead."

"You're my uncle...you're from my mother's side right?"

"No, father's."

"Then why Yuui Valeria instead of Yuui Flourite?"

"Oh that?" Ashura laughed a little and placed his hand on Yuui's head in a childish manner. "Your parents, they were good, but strange people. Your mother never took your father's last name, and when you were children she and your father gave you the option of your last name. You chose to take Valeria, your mother's name, while Fye chose to be like your father, a Flourite."

"So Yuui Valeria and Fye Flourite?"

"Yes. It was cute, when you chose those names we asked what your reasoning was, the two of you just stared at us as if it was the most obvious thing and said 'So people know which is which!' It was adorable." Kurogane held back a snort, that sounded very much like something that Fye or Yuui would say.

"I...can see it. Thank you Ashura."

"Please, call me Uncle, like you used to. Do you have to go so quickly?"

"Well, really we have up to a week, but I...now have something else I need to do."

"I see. I'm sorry to hear that. You will come to visit, right?"

"It won't take me almost six years this time, and I'll call."

Ashura smiled, pulling Fye into a tight hug. "Good, don't be a stranger, next time you come, I'll show you everything that is rightfully yours."

"Thanks. Shall we go Kuro-pyon?" The doctor stood to his feet and waited for the blond to join his side before they walked to the door, completely forgetting about breakfast before yelling reached their ears.

"Where have you been?!"

"Right here!"

"Why didn't you tell me?!"

"I didn't have time! I'm sorry!"

"You better be, you bastard!"

"That's Kamui's voice..." By now Kurogane knew the distinctive tone of the F.A.I.'s yell. "Who's the other voice? Who else could he possibly have to yell at? I thought you were it."

"Well..." Fye said laughing nervously as he ran fingers through his hair. "Remember yesterday he kept saying something about a guy named Fuuma? I'm going to go ahead and guess that the person he's yelling at is Fuuma, I'm going by the 'where have you been.'"

"Ahhh."

Fye grinned and walked out to where the scream came from, tapping Kamui on the shoulder. The other teens were watching intently, and they stared at Fye in a curious manner as he dared to approach the teen. "Kamui, we're leaving now."

"Why didn't you tell me you hadn't killed Fuuma!?"

"I did...you just didn't believe me."

"Of course not! You should have tried harder to convince me!"

"I'll miss you too Kamui..."

"Yeah, yeah..." There was a long pause. "I'm sorry. I accused you of something you didn't do."

"Aw!" Fye reached out and caused several gasps from the crowd as he hugged the person who was modeled after him. "That's the sweetest thing I've ever heard from you! I'm honored!"

"Let go of me, you sick freak!"

"I'll visit soon!" Kurogane knew that Fye was truly messing with Kamui when the blond kissed the boy's cheek and then ran off before Kamui could change his mind about letting Fye live. "Come on Kuro-chan!" The assassin grabbed onto Kurogane's arm and dashed from the house and toward the blue Subaru model car.

"So, are you okay?"

"Of course! Why wouldn't I be?"

"The information..."

"I know it now, but it doesn't mean that much to me, not yet." Fye's smile faded away for a moment, but then it came back as a grin. "At least I know I'm Yuui now. You can call me that if you want Kuro-chan."

"Fye is Fye. You are not Yuui. You are Fye to me. You will always be Fye to me."

Kurogane watched as the grin faded, not into a frown, but a happy smile. His eyes looked like like they were about to cry. "That means more to me than you will ever know Kuro-myu. Oh! I have a last name now!"

"Flourite?"

Fye shook his head as he started the engine. "Valeria. I'm going to switch it around, so I'll be Fye Valeria! How does that sound?"

"Good. It's wonderful." The car began to move and Kurogane found himself staring at Fye in a dreamy way, but not really thinking about anything at all. He had to speak. That smile, that real smile was far too alluring. "So, we're going home now?"

"You are."

"What does that mean?"

"I said it to Ashu--Uncle. I have something else I have to do now. You can't help with this one, so I'm going to give you the car and send you home while I go."

"Where are you going?"

Fye looked away from the road for a split second and winked at Kurogane, "Secret!"

"Seriously Fye. I want to know where to look for you if you don't come home."

Fye sighed, "I'm going to get answers. From the source. I'm going to the heart of the matter, the government. They will know what happened and they will tell me, even if I have to kill a few of them. I'll be home in two to three days at most Kuro-koi, don't worry. I won't die or get hurt."

"Promise?"

"I'll be extra careful, just for you."

"Good."

Fye pulled the car over in front of a family restaurant, "Out, get into the driver's seat."

"Okay, but how are you getting there?"

"I'll be renting a vehicle. I don't want this one getting...destroyed. Plus, what I'll be renting has a better gas mileage."

"You sure?"

"Yep."

The two opened their doors and got out of the car, as Kurogane passed Fye to get into the driver's seat he grabbed onto Fye, kissed the man's lips as if it were their final good-bye and held him closer than it seemed he ever had. Kurogane knew that somewhere in Fye's words that Fye was lying, whether he was supposed to be able to lie or not. He knew that Fye would not come out of this trip unscathed and if something did end up happening, he wanted Fye to know that he loved him. No matter what.

"When you come back...I'll be waiting for you. And if they so much as lay a finger on you, I'll kill them all, no matter if I'm a horrible assassin or not."

Fye reciprocated the hug and smiled into Kurogane's shoulder in a gentle manner. "All right. I understand. Drive safe now Kuro-chu."

Kurogane reluctantly let go of the blond and climbed into the car, shutting the door, pulling on the seat belt and driving off. In the rear-view mirror he saw Fye grinning and waving until he got out of sight.


	12. Chapter 12

A/N: I fear this chapter. I mean, I loved writing this chapter, but I fear it. Or perhaps I fear for you all reading this chapter. At any rate, the three characters that should have been introduced a long time ago have been introduced this chapter. You should enjoy two of them and promptly stab the other with a spork. You also learn exactly what happened to Fye/Yuui's family.

Read, review, enjoy.

* * *

A motorcycle screeched to a halt and a lanky figure swung its leg over to stand on the simmering asphalt. The figure wore a pair of dark blue jeans, a pair of boots, a black jacket that settled nicely around their hips, and a helmet that made it impossible to see their face clearly. The surrounding area was practically a desert. It was at least one-hundred degrees outside and there wasn't another building for miles in each direction. The last place that had been seen on the way here was a gas station about five miles back.

The person let out a long, heavy sigh and reached up, unstrapping and then pulling off the helmet. Blond hair fluttered down from it and clear blue eyes gazed to the place he now stood before. "It's been a while." He whispered. "I wish I could say I missed this place, but that would be the biggest lie anyone has ever told." A dark chuckle left Fye's lips as he set the helmet down and walked toward the building.

Sweat rolled down the side of his face as he walked forward, causing some of his hair to stick to his face. His clothes were very warm for this area, but it didn't matter, heat wouldn't affect him as much as the sunburn that he would get if he didn't wear these. He also knew it would be cooler inside the building.

It was just like he remembered it. It was huge, bland, and forbidding, yet he could clearly remember it being the only place he could go at the end of the day.

He stopped in front of the front door and started at the door handle. He knew funding for the project had been cut off, yet he knew that people were still here. He knew it. For one thing, there were still cars out front, and not only that, but some of the workers here had been so obsessed with the project that he wouldn't have been at all surprised if some of them had kept working here for little or no pay.

For what seemed like a long time he stared at that handle, but at last he pulled his sleeve down over his hand and reached out, gripped on to the burning hot metal, and opened the door.

A blast of cool air overwhelmed him as he came into the building. Sure enough, the place was buzzing with workers, all of which stopped as they saw the blond enter. "Is that who I think it is?"

"No way, it's 685!"

"What's he doing here?"

There was no secretary...of course not, no one was supposed to know that they would still be in operation. "All right!" The people in the room all flinched as his voice filled the air, "I know Fei didn't leave! Where is he!?"

"I'm right here, my little pawn." Fye felt a calloused hand at his cheek and he brought his own hand up, sharply slapping at it, and forcing it off his face. "I always knew you would come back. There's too much mystery and intrigue."

Fye growled, "I'm here for my memories. Not to rejoin."

"Oh, I was hoping you were here to apologize for your behavior lately. Killing one of them with a gun, and refusing to kill another. I thought we were customers."

"Highest bidder wins, you lost. It's that simple. No hard feelings." Fye turned around to face the man he was talking to. He was older, but not quite elderly with some gray hair. Over one eye was a monocle that gave him that positively evil air.

"Of course 685. Or...I've heard you call yourself Fye these days. No hard feelings. I understand perfectly. So, you say you're here for your memories?"

"That is what I said. You heard me one-hundred percent correctly."

"So I assume that means you've learned who you really were before we got our hands on you. Right Yuui Valeria?"

In an instant Fye had drawn his pistol and had pointed it at Fei's head. "Call me that again and I will shoot your damn head clear off your neck." The other people in the office either backed away or pulled out guns of their own pointing them at Fye. The blond didn't even seem to notice, his eyes only focusing on the bastard in front of him.

Just like Fye, Fei didn't seem at all concerned about the gun that was pointed at him. "Right, I'm sorry... 'Fye'." Slowly the pistol Fye held lowered itself down to his side. As he did this other guns that had been pulled were put away as well. "Shall we go to my office? We'll discuss what it is that you want there."

It seemed that Fei understood that Fye agreed to this because without so much as another sound from Fye, the two men disappeared behind a door and came to an office. "You remember this place, don't you Fye?"

"Of course. Where my assignments were received. You're going to give me what I want, aren't you?"

"So impatient..." Fei sighed, walking over to the desk in the center of the room, opening it, taking out a key-ring and closing it again.

Fye growled, coming up the desk as well and slamming his hands down upon it, causing the desk to visibly vibrate. "Wrong, I've been perfectly patient for years, but there's a limit."

"Of course, there's a limit to everything. Don't worry, you'll be getting your answers in about..." Fei took one of the keys off the key-chain and then suddenly slammed the edge of the key into Fye's hand, causing the assassin to give a poorly restrained scream, "Thirty seconds..." Fei smirked in the most evil of evil ways as he slowly drew the key out of Fye's flesh, more sounds of pain being forced from Fye's lips.

Blood dripped from the wounded hand as Fye lifted his hands, and gripped them to Fei's collar, his entire body starting to shake. "I felt something come off of that, you and your damned inventions...you will give me the antidote to whatever you poisoned me with just now!"

"But Fye!" Fei feigned a completely innocent tone, "I did just give you an antidote! Mind you, we would have to overdose you ten times over to give you all your memories back, but that dose will give you just enough to answer the question of what happened to your family."

Fye attempted to growl, but the solution was starting to grab a hold of him now and his hands were forced to let go of Fei. His muscles relaxed as he slid to the floor. As he slipped into unconsciousness he watched his hand ooze blood from its center...

His eyes opened. His eyes closed. He could remember. At the time he had been nineteen, but his youth and ignorance had not been a reason for why everything had happened.

His new memories went all the way back to a day before the holiday break in college when he had been nineteen years old. He had picked up the phone and called Kurogane to complain about a gigantic spider falling down on his sketchbook and causing him to smudge his charcoal drawing beyond repair. He remembered the picture had been a project for one of his classes, the assignment to draw a person from his childhood. He had been drawing Fye.

He remembered that his entire building had been shut down because everyone was finding hordes of spiders and cockroaches in their rooms. The poor things were probably just trying to escape the cold. He had again called Kurogane, plus a hotel to stay in for the night before he went back to where his parents lived.

He remembered that he had gone out with Kurogane for most of that night, but those memories had been smudged by the fact that his boyfriend had lifted his head above the clouds by telling him that he loved him. It had been a wonderful feeling.

He remembered flying on an airplane, overlooking the clouds and smiling to himself as he knew that both Fye and Kurogane would be sitting in a seat as far away from the window as they could and twitching to themselves until they landed on safe ground.

He had remembered getting off the plane and being tackle-hugged by his twin the moment they saw each other.

He remembered the wonderful days that passed after this. The days that seemed so normal, building snowmen, talking, drinking cocoa, reminiscing about things he still couldn't remember.

They had visited Ashura. He could clearly hear himself yelling, _"We'll see you soon, Uncle!"_

He remembered sitting in the car as they drove home from visiting Ashura. He had been fixing clips on his video camera, and Fye had been overlooking one of his astrophysics books. He remembered that he had asked Fye to try and explain something, but he hadn't understood it at all. He remembered that this had hurt Fye, so he had asked him to explain it again, and although he hadn't understood it anymore than the first time, he had pretended to understand. Fye had smiled.

For the rest of that trip home he had taken the astrophysics book and tried to make heads or tails of the very first page. It was obvious that when it came to interests and abilities he and Fye were opposites.

Then there was a gap in his memory. This was probably a time in which he had not been conscious.

When he started to remember again he was in a great glass room, alone with Fye. This part came in flashes mostly, he couldn't make out most words that were said, only getting the big picture from the entire ordeal. What was the big picture? His and Fye's parents being shot in plain view by two golden eyed men. At the time he, as Yuui could not recognize them, but as Fye Valeria he knew exactly who they were.

Subaru and the man Subaru had identified as Seishiro had killed his parents.

It hurt to keep remembering. It really hurt. He had to bite his lip and take in a deep breath before he could continue thinking about what his mind had apparently learned during his time in the land of sleep.

Within the place they were kept, despite their mourning for their parents they came up with a plan to escape, so that the same would not happen to them. It had mostly been Fye's idea, he had no skill at all with math and decent maneuvers, but no matter who's idea it was, it had gotten them out of the glass box and into a labyrinth of hallways that all seemed to lead to nowhere.

Somewhere along the line he had heard people following them, and pressed he and twin forward more, he was worried about getting out of this place, yes, but when he heard the men all he could think about at that time was the two men who had killed their parents in a single shot. He didn't want that to happen to Fye. Screw him, he could die for all he cared, but not Fye. They had already taken his parents, he didn't want to lose his brother too.

He remembered that they ran as fast and as hard as they could until they finally found a door that led outside. He had turned around to press against and open the door, and it did open, but he and Fye could not get out at the same time. They tried and tried going back and forth trying to get both of them through, but nothing worked.

After what seemed to be an eternity came the moment he had seen Fei for the very first time. Every word he said clung in his mind, every action was crystal clear. _"Only one of you can get out that door."_

_"Why?"_

_"Because that is the way it was made. One of you can escape, live freely. What will it be? Which one will be selfish and leave the other here, and which one will be selfless and sacrifice their freedom?"_

He had stood very still for a long time, and while for a time Fei had been very patient he grew to the inevitable stage of not wanting to wait any longer. _"Well?"_

He had brought his twin closer to him, hugging him tightly, _"Fye, I'm sorry."_ Fye had relaxed against him in relief at the words.

__

"Ah, so Yuui's going to be selfish?"

"You think you know me? Fuck. You."

He turned toward the open door and shoved his twin through it.

_"Forgive me, Fye, I can't let you die here."_

"No! Yuui!"

The door had slammed shut separating them into two different worlds.__

"You're not going to take him back, are you?"

"Of course not. It was your choice."

"I don't care what happens to me, as long as he lives."

He had taken in a breath and had leaned against the door. He had closed his eyes and listened to what was being told to him by this man. He told him many things. What had been done to them while they slept. Tainting of the mind that gave them powers, and computers that could control them. An activated computer meant that they could be controlled. They had killed their parents as a test, for any malfunctions caused by stress. They had both passed the test, but they only needed one of them, so Fye had been let free. His computer was not activated. He would be okay.

Or so he had thought.

__

"But Fye won't survive very long, you know."

"What?"

"He'll die within a few days. A non-activated computer system will cause a slow shut-down of the vital systems. What do you care? You may have killed him, but he's free."

One of the men who had often been with him early on in the early stages of his emotional development told him that he had been suicidal before his computers had been activated. He knew this was the reason why. His entire family, dead. Two in front of his eyes, the most important one to him killed by his own hands. It was his fault. Surely he had wanted to join them...

He wanted to join them now. He wanted to take his pistol and fire it straight into his heart that hurt so much.

"Hey! You're awake!" The door to whatever room he had been lying in opened and two people entered. They were children, no older than ten or eleven. "Are you okay? You've been moaning in your sleep."

Fye sat up to get a better look at these children. One was a girl. She was small and utterly cute with reddish-brown hair and jade green eyes. The other was a boy, his eyes were a cold amber brown, but the hair was a warmer brown. "I'm sorry to worry you. How long was I asleep?"

"At least two days! We were getting worried, weren't we?" The girl looked back at the boy, who only nodded very slightly. "Fei said to watch for when you woke up, but you woke up while we were gone...I apologize, are you really okay? He said you might try to die."

"He cares?" Fye moved over to the edge of the bed as the girl scrunched up her face trying to think of an answer. At last she shook her head no. "I didn't think so."

"But I care! I've cared for a whole three months!"

"I haven't been here for three months."

"But I've had emotions that long!"

At this Fye frowned, his hand reaching out and caressing the girls face. It was warm. "Who are you two?"

"I'm number 687, and he's number 688!"

"Numbers? But I thought that they stopped production after number 686."

"We're new. Only a year old. Prototypes." The girl stared at Fye's legs, making the blond shift uncomfortably. "Can I sit on your lap? Please? I've seen children sit in adults laps when we we're on outside jobs, but no one here will let me. Besides, their touch is always so cold and mean. You...look really warm and nice, your touch is also really soft!"

"I suppose..."

"He hasn't eaten in two days. He's hungry." The boy spoke for the very first time. His face looked emotionless, but his voice was full of emotion. Fye wondered how long he had trained to keep his face that way.

"But we don't have any food...we have to wait until tomorrow."

"We could sneak some."

"No," Fye shook his head as he reached down and lifted the girl into his lap as she held her arms up to him. "I don't really feel hungry. I can last until tomorrow."

"Oh, I was right. You are warm." The girl giggled and hugged Fye around his waist. "I could sleep here. You should try it too."

The boy looked at the ground, shifted his feet a little bit and looked up at Fye with a sad face, "Can I? We've never had parents. I'm jealous of all the kids we see on missions..."

"Are you jealous because they have parents who hold their hands, or are you jealous because they are free and don't have worries?"

"A little of both."

The pain in Fye's heart lessened a little and he held his hand out to the small boy. "Come here. I don't think my lap is big enough for both of you though."

The boy smiled and took the hand that was offered to him. He quickly climbed onto the bed and just sat by Fye's side, resting his head gently against Fye's chest. "Wow," He said after a minute or so of listening to Fye's heartbeat. "She was right, you are really, really warm. I like it."

The girl sighed happily, "I'm really glad Fei was wrong. I'm really glad you didn't kill yourself."

"Why?"

"Because then no one would be able to experience your warmth!" The girl smiled up at his face, "I don't see why people don't line up in front of you and ask for hugs. I'm sure you could make a lot of money if you set up a stand."

Fye bit his lip, an unidentifiable emotion rising up within him. A laugh escaped his lips, yet at the same time tears spilled from his eyes. "Mister?"

Fye shook his head and placed his hand on the girl's head. "No, I'm fine. T-thank you. I think, I think I feel a little better than I did when I woke up."

"Hey."

"Hm?" Fye forced out more laughs as he reached up and wiped away his tears. The more he laughed the better he felt. The feeling that he had killed his twin still filled his mind, but he didn't feel like killing himself anymore. These children reminded him that at home, Kurogane was waiting for him to walk in the door, in a large house near a large city his uncle waited for him to call, and even if he would never admit it, Kamui was also waiting to know what had happened to him. These children reminded him that he still had people to live for. "What is it?"

"What's your name? You're not a number, right?"

"I...used to have a number."

"What happened to it?"

"I replaced it with a name that has letters."

"You can do that?!"

Fye chuckled as both the girl and boy yelled that at the same time. "Yeah. I renamed myself. I am Fye Valeria. No number will ever take that away from me ever again. I am not a worthless number, and neither are you."

"But we don't have names."

"But you can."

"How?" The two children moved away from him, sitting next to each other and staring up at him with wide innocent eyes.

"You can name yourself, or you can have someone else name you. You can have a name at any time you want. Don't let them fool you. Understand?" The two children nodded. Fye smiled, "Good. Now you two must have been working very hard today. You should sleep."

The girl and boy looked at each other, then back at Fye. "Can we sleep by you?"

"You're warm."

"And not just in temperature. We've never met anyone like you. We really like you."

Fye smiled and nodded, "I guess it's okay. Tomorrow I'll figure out how to get home."

The two children smiled brightly and threw themselves at the blond man. They laughed, squealed, and tickled anything they could get their fingers on for a minute until they settled down on either side of Fye, "The light?" The boy mumbled something under his breath and a moment later the light turned off, surrounding them in complete darkness.

After a while the girl and boy fell asleep. Even so Fye lay awake, either hand running through the strands of hair on their heads. He knew he was in this dreaded place. He knew that he had hated this place for all it was worth, but now as he lay here on a bed that was filled with children who only wanted a normal life with parents and warmth he couldn't bring himself to think that it was entirely evil.

Despite his new-found memories, he couldn't remember ever being so happy to be here.


	13. Chapter 13

A/N: Finally. I got this one up. My beta was sick for a few days, which is why this one took so long. I also had a hard time writing this chapter. This is the climax of the story, and then the next chapter will be the last in the main story. Of course little old me has to do some sort of an epilogue, so there will be that too.

I'm actually caught up on all my current stories which I'm finding is very rare in the Summer. It's acutally given me time to post drawings on DeviantArt and to work on some new stories. Which is really nice. The Summer's coming to a close though, and when it does school starts. I'll be a senior this year, which I really hope doesn't mean too much, but if it does my stories may slow even more, which is not something I hope for...

Read, review, enjoy.

* * *

"Mister? Mister? Mister, wake up!" Fye made a groaning noise and turned over in an attempt to get away from the voice that yelled right next to his ear. "But Mister! Your breakfast is going to get cold!"

At this Fye opened his eyes and turned over again. There were the children, the girl holding out a tray for him to take, "My name is Fye, you don't have to call me Mister. Have you two already eaten?"

The girl nodded waving the tray in his face to get Fye to sit up, "Yep! Now it's your turn! Hurry, hurry or it'll get cold!"

Fye chuckled as he sat up and took the tray from the girl. "How did you two sleep? You did fall asleep on me you know." Fye placed a bite of the oatmeal in his mouth.

"No worries here, we both slept really well. Right?" The girl looked at the boy and the boy nodded. "How does it taste?"

"Like I remember it tasting," Fye mused as he swallowed. "You can feel the vitamins and minerals eating away at your stomach lining."

The boy smiled and the girl giggled as they watched him eat the food. Each bite was enjoyment for them, probably because each time Fye took a bite he made a face. After a little while Fye even exaggerated his faces so that they would smile wider and giggle louder.

"Hey Fye?" The girl crawled up next to him on the bed as Fye pushed the tray away from him.

"Hm?"

"You said that we can have names, right?"

"Of course you can."

"And you said someone else can name us, right?"

"Yes, sometimes it's better for someone else to name you. After all, mothers and fathers name their children when they're born. The child doesn't name them self."

"Could we ask you a big favor?"

"Yeah, sure, go ahead."

"Will you name us Fye?"

Fye's eyes widened and he dramatically placed his hand at his chest, "Me? Name you?" The two children nodded, Fye's face fell a little, as if he had thought them to be joking. "Really?" They nodded again. "A-all right...I've never named anyone before though."

"You'll do just fine! We know you will!"

"Well..." Fye sighed as he looked from the girl to the boy to the girl again. He didn't even know which nationality he should start at. Fye, if spelled 'Fai' was a Chinese name, Yuui could be taken two ways, if slightly altered to Yue, it was also Chinese, but Yuui all by itself was Japanese.

Perhaps he should follow the same line of thought his parents did? One Chinese and one Japanese name?

For a long time he continued to think until at last he smiled, "All right, you," Fye pointed to the girl, "Will be Sakura. You," he pointed to the boy, "Will be Syaoran."

Sakura and Syaoran stared at him, "Do you not like those names?"

"No, they're wonderful, right 'Syaoran'?" Syaoran nodded at Sakura's words, "But why those names?"

"Well, I know Sakura is the Japanese word for cherry blossoms. You are still just a bud, but I know that with time you will become a beautiful blossom. So, Sakura. As for Syaoran, I was originally thinking of Xiao-Long, or little dragon, but while it does fit you now, oh you with knowledgeable eyes, I know you will not be little forever, so I altered it to Syaoran."

Sakura giggled, "Fye is so smart! He knows a lot of stuff!"

Fye chuckled, placing his hand on top of the girl's head, and ruffled her hair slightly. "I've had a lot of time to study this stuff in the past, but I don't know everything, just bits and pieces."

"It's still amazing."

Syaoran came a little bit closer to Fye and looked up at him, "Yesterday Fye said that he had to go home today. When are you leaving?"

"Yes, I'm sure my loved one at home is already in a panic at how long I've been gone, I'll be leaving as soon as I can figure out how to get out of here without getting shot."

"Shot?!" Sakura gripped onto Fye's jacket, "Why would you be shot?!"

"I'm not supposed to leave, or at least, I don't think I'm supposed to leave."

"Why not?"

"Like you, I was once a number, with no name. During my stay here the last time I became very valuable in data collection and their experiments. I also have been hired by them recently and I disobeyed their orders. I suspect that they wish to punish me."

"No, no, no. That will not happen. Syaoran, we can help Fye get out, right?"

"Yes." Syaoran nodded, "But there is one condition."

Fye smiled and tilted his head to one side, "What?"

"Take us with you."

* * *

"You wanted to meet us here?"

Kurogane shook his head at the two teenaged boys, Kamui and Fuuma. "No, I wanted to meet you here. You could have left the other one at home."

"Where I go, Fuuma goes. I thought I lost him once, I'm not risking it again." Kamui looked over his shoulder glaring playfully at his companion, "He might slip away again."

"I said I was sorry."

Kamui smiled and looked back to Kurogane with a slightly curious expression, "So, why did you call for me? Where is the government anomaly, Fye? The two of you were inseparable when you brought me here."

"That's just it. When Fye and I left, Fye said he had to go somewhere, to get more answers. He also said that he would be back in three days at most. It's been four days, no sign of Fye."

Kamui frowned, his fingers flexing as he thought through this information, "That's...peculiar. Fye's a man of his word, if he says he's going to do something, he's going to do it unless he hates you, or all of hell breaks loose and holds him back. Did he say where he was going to get more answers?"

"The source, the government."

Kamui's eyes widened, "Damn fool. Fuuma!" Kamui yelled over his shoulder, "I have to go, take my bag, go home. Tell Ashura I went to Nekoi's house for studying. Nekoi's honorable, he'll believe that."

"Sure, he'll believe you went with Nekoi, but you studying? That I'm not so sure he'll believe..."

"If nothing else, it'll buy me a little time. Kurogane, come with me. I'll take you to where Fye is, but I'm not going inside, understand?"

"Um, yeah?"

"Good," Kamui turned around, quickly shoved his brand new school bag into Fuuma's arms and ran off toward Fye's car. "Hurry up! He's been gone for four days, who knows what they've done to him! It might be worse than death!"

"Worse than death?" Kurogane mumbled to himself as he went around to the passenger's side of the car. "And I thought Fye's words made the government sound bad..."

As the passenger side door slammed shut Kamui shifted the car into gear, "Buckle up. I speed."

* * *

"And you're sure about this?"

Fye nodded, "One-hundred percent sure, Syaoran. Not only will it satisfy me, but it'll buy us more time than trying for a direct way out would."

The two children crawled up on the bed in front of the blond man and stared at him with eyes that said that didn't understand anything that Fye was saying. "You're confused?" They nodded, "Well, think of it this way; if we take a direct route out of here then we'll inevitably run into someone. That someone will know that we're not supposed to be going that way, and then we'll have to run. Running is a tip off that we're doing something we're not supposed to be doing, and we will be easily caught. Then we'll be kept under surveillance and that'll make it even harder to escape. Am I wrong?"

Sakura shook her head slightly, "No, according to anyone's logic that's right. What we're wondering about is how visiting Fei will make it any easier."

Fye smiled and reached out, placing his hand gently on Sakura's head, "Simple. Every night you and Syaoran go visit Fei for your assignments, right?"

"Every single night."

"Then you take me with you. You'll tell anyone on the way that Fei told you to bring me with you. Then after we finish with that visit..."

"But Fye, that's where it gets confusing. Fei would just call a lot of officials and we'd be caught even faster."

"Fei won't be able to call anyone."

"Why not?"

Fye's eyes narrowed and his lips spread into a grin, "Because children, I fully intend to kill Fei." A soft chuckle rung through the room, "I'm opposed to killing nowadays, but I think I have enough will left in me to kill a man like him. Understand?"

The children nodded. The expressions they wore indicated that they didn't exactly believe that Fye could kill anything. "So you know that this will work? This plan?"

"I can't be sure, but I used to know a boy who tried to escape from this place at least once a week. I know what doesn't work, so perhaps from that, I know what will."

* * *

"All right. So. Here's the deal. I brought you here, I'm going to tell you the quickest way to find Fye, I'm going to give you a weapon, but there is no way in hell that I'm going in that place."

"What? Are you afraid?" Kurogane smirked in a joking fashion as Kamui leaned over him to get into the glove box that Fye had always kept stuffed with things such as keys, bullets, knives, and other items.

"Hell yes." Kurogane's face fell at Kamui's blunt honesty. "I spent almost all my time in that place trying to escape from it. They tortured Fye to the point where I started to hate him because he never did anything for himself. It was always for someone else."

"They didn't harm you?"

"When they tried...Fye would conveniently "lose" control of his powers. He always protected me...anyway, the point is that I am never going back in there, not for Fye, not for you, I might not even go in there if it was Subaru or Fuuma. Here you go." Kamui pulled back away from the glove-box and dropped several rounds of bullets and a gun into Kurogane's lap.

"All that was in Fye's glovebox?"

"Fye's always kept his best weapons there. He uses the simple logic that no one would think to look in such an obvious place for such obviously dangerous things. He uses the same logic for keeping his keys there...even when he's not around. At any rate, I assume you know how to use that."

"Yeah, but I don't need it. I have my own gun."

Kamui snorted rudely, "That stun gun? No way. It won't work."

"Why not? It worked against you!"

"Yeah, me. A single person who thought you were harmless, and had turned his back on you to go after bigger pray. The people in that building will do no such thing, and even if they were to do that, they're more than one person, and a stun gun takes a lot of time in between shots. You need a real weapon. Fye's always used a pistol, but I've always preferred knives. Would you prefer a knife? Makes no difference to me."

"No..."

"All right. Moving on, you should try to get in the back door, the front will be crawling with people. Wait for someone else to come out, do not shoot them, just get inside before the door closes, and be silent. From there it doesn't take very much to get to the section Fye would be in if they caught him. There's a bunch of doors. Check each one quickly. If he's not there, go back the way you came. If he is there, take advise from him as to which way to go next."

Kurogane frowned, "What will we do if he's not there?"

"That's simple. If he's not there, he's either dead, or escaped. Either way, we leave, and you wait. If he doesn't return in a month, I'll tell Ashura he's died, and you should accept it as that too."

"No way!" Kurogane grabbed at Kamui's shirt collar and growled at him viciously.

"Don't give me that. Fine, if you want to not follow that, it's your death. Just go. I'll be waiting here."

"What if I don't come back?"

"I'll wait for three hours. That's more than enough time. Go."

Kurogane got out of the car and ran toward the back. He stood to the side, away from the door, but not in front of it. He didn't want to be so obvious that if someone or something came through the door that it would run right into him, yet he also didn't want to be so out of the way that it would be impossible to get through the door before it closed again. All he hoped was that Kamui's advice worked.

He waited by the door for a while, waiting and watching until someone came through the door. They kept going forward at a quickened pace. The person who came out of the door never looked back, which was an indication that no one expected there to be an intrusion.

Before the door snapped shut again Kurogane rushed forward and slid into the hallway of this strange maze of a building. Carefully looking from side to side, Kurogane walked down the main hallway. He hoped that Kamui's words were right, and that the section Fye should be in wasn't far.

Sure enough, about five minutes after he had started to creep about the building he got to a hallway that was just door after door. His hand reached out to open the first door within reach when a scream reached his ears. Why did the voice that just screamed sound like Fye?

Down the hall Kurogane ran, toward the area he had heard the scream come from. He stopped when he heard a crash come from behind a closed door and without a second thought the doctor grabbed the doorknob and threw the door wide open.

Instantly two pairs of small, but extremely strong hands reached up, grabbed him, and dragged him to the ground. "Fye! There's an intruder!" The voices of two children reached his ears, but more important than their age was the name they spoke.

"Don't kill him. Remember, there was only one target." A soft clacking sound was heard as boots walked across the tiled floor. A figure lowered itself to his level and Kurogane found himself face to face with Fye Valeria. "Kuro-myu?" The blond tilted his head to one side and his golden eyes seemed to hold an extreme amount of confusion behind them. "What are you doing here?"

"Trying to find you."

The confusion in Fye's eyes disappeared and his face seemed to become angry as he stood to his full height. "Let him go. He's not an enemy." The two children obeyed, allowing Kurogane to stand up straight once more.

"Fye, are we leaving now?"

Fye placed his hand on the boy's head and smiled brightly, "In just a moment we'll be going. Kuro-chan's arrival changes things a little, but before we discuss that..." Fye brought his other hand up and bashed it against the side of Kurogane's head without warning, "I needed to do that."

Kurogane rubbed the spot that had been hit. It hurt, but judging by the fact Fye hadn't even been looking at him, it could have hurt a lot worse, "What was that for!?"

"Your idiocy." Fye sighed, "Do you really think that your coming here could help me? You should have stayed at home Youou Kurogane." When Fye called him by his full name Kurogane realized that Fye was truly angry at him. That was damn ungrateful! He had come here because he was worried about Fye, but no, he was just pushed off as a burden!

Fye sighed, "But, it can't be helped. We just need to get out of here. Sakura. Syaoran. Which one of you has the better external telekinesis?"

Kurogane looked down at the children, the boy raised his hand. "Okay. Syaoran, you stay by me. Sakura, remain by Kurogane's side. We're going to head out toward the back door. With any luck, no one will realize that Fei is dead, and we'll slip out unnoticed."

Kurogane's eyes flickered about the room when Fye mentioned someone being dead. It was only when he looked in the corner that he saw the crumpled body of a man. There was no blood, but the look on his face was particularly gruesome. The only thing Kurogane could think of was that Fye had used that strange power F.A.I.s had. He had thought Fye was against killing people now, why had he killed this one? Was he one of the people who had abused him?

"Kurogane?"

Kurogane quickly ripped his eyes away from the corpse and looked back to Fye's face. "Yeah?"

"Do you have any weapons at all?"

"Kamui gave me a pistol from your glove box."

A small smile graced Fye's lips, "So my car is here?"

"Yes."

Fye grinned now, "All right, I forgive you. The car is something I need. Kamui is here as well?"

"Yes."

"Even better. Do you understand the plan?"

"Get out of this place?"

Fye sighed a little, but nodded, "That's the basic idea...let's go."

The little girl came to Kurogane's side and held onto his hand, a great big smile coming to her face, "This one's warm too, just like Fye..."

The four of them came from the room and with Fye's guidance they weaved in and out of hallways, hid in rooms to avoid people, and once the boy went so far as to knock a man out. After that particular incident Fye told Kurogane to give him his pistol, Fye himself had left his behind so that he could get into the now dead man's office.

"There." Fye smiled as they got to the final hallway. "There it is." He took in a deep breath and sighed out in relief, "We made it."

"Not quite." Fye's eyes widened and he spun around. Behind their small group was a larger group of nine or ten people. They were led by a small man, no older than Fye or Kurogane was. He didn't look particularly threatening, yet Fye grabbed at Syaoran, Sakura, and Kurogane and pushed them all behind him, toward the door. "You didn't really think it was that easy did you 685? If it was 686 would have escaped long before the release."

"You know..." Fye chuckled darkly, "For a moment there I really thought it was. Kurogane, take the children, go out, get to the car, leave."

"No way! I'm not leaving without you!"

"Kurogane!"

"Fye!"

"Fine!" Fye took the pistol from his back pocket and pointed it at the group, "Tell the children how to get to the car, and have them tell the driver, to leave in ten minutes or when he sees officials."

This command Kurogane did obey, quickly whispering instructions into the children's ears while Fye seemed to have a screaming match with the group that opposed them. After a minute he sent the children running, and when the back door slammed shut, he knew that those two were safe.

"They may escape 685, but you and your...friend, aren't leaving here."

"Why? Because we know too much? There are still other F.A.I. and other government officials who know."

"No, it's simple. You are considered a failure, yet from your data we can possibly create success stories. You are needed for that data. Your friend...well, he's the reason you like normal life, isn't he? If we get rid of him, well, you'll have no reason to want to leave."

For a long moment Fye was completely still, then he let the pistol drop to his side. "My data? You want my data? My computer programming mixed with true human blood?"

"That's correct."

"Huh," Kurogane couldn't see the look on Fye's face, but just from the voice he could tell that the blond was plotting something. "My data..." The assassin clicked his tongue as he lifted one hand up, allowing the sleeve to fall to his elbow. On the skin of his forearm was something Kurogane had never noticed before, three numbers: 6, 8, and 5, burned into the skin.

Fye laughed, "Well, if that's what you want, I'm going to make sure you can never have it." Quickly he lifted the pistol again and placed it a few inches away from that spot. A second later Kurogane's ears rung with the sound of a gunshot and a scream as Fye shot himself in the arm.

"You idiot!" The leader of the group yelled, "What do you think you're doing!" The same basic thought was running through Kurogane's own mind. Inside he was panicking, what was Fye thinking? Why would he injure himself instead of the enemy!

Fye made a sound that Kurogane wasn't able to identify, at times it sounded like a laugh, but others it was a sob. "Shutting down my systems. Isn't that right? The main computer system is in the brain, but the device that keeps it going is in the arm, right below the I.D. point. It causes an increase in power production, making the subject stronger, but the drawback is that the system completely dies within minutes." The sound became louder, "In ten minutes, you'll no use for me."

"But that's practically suicide! You only have a fifty-fifty chance to live! No sane person--!"

"That's the point! You told me before Kyle! I was suicidal before, and for a good cause, I'll be it again!"

"Grab him! Before the system shuts down! If we are able to reconstruct the arm we may be able to..."

"Kurogane, on the count of three, we run."

"Got it."

"One..."

"Save most of the program's data!"

"Two! Three!" Both Fye and Kurogane turned on their heels and ran.

"Gun them down! I don't care where you hit the other, but make sure you leave 685 alive!" Kurogane heard gunshots from both next to him and from behind them, indicating that both sides had fired. Fye was apparently a better shot, because two voices yelled and there were thuds.

As they reached the door there were more shots, and this time one of them managed to hit. Kurogane bit his lip so hard he was sure it was going to bleed as he felt pain explode from his shoulder and heard Fye's voice ask if he all right. "I'm fine! Just open the door!"

Fye slammed his shoulder against the door, causing it to open and the two men ran out. "Come on, quickly, to the car, we don't have much time. They'll be out front in about four minutes, and that's only because the building's so big."

Kurogane nodded, leading Fye around the building. About halfway to the parking lot Fye fell to his knees. "What's wrong?!"

"My systems are shutting down! It weakens most functions and confuses the waves that my brain sends out."

"Can you get up?!"

"No. Go."

"No way in hell!" The doctor turned around and ignoring the excruciating pain in his shoulder as best as he could, he picked Fye up into his arms.

"Put me down! You'll injure yourself more! Not to mention this is the desert! You'll tire yourself out more running with extra baggage!" Weakly Fye moved against him, trying to free himself from the man's grasp, but it was all futile.

"Shut it! I'm not leaving you! I came here for you, I'm leaving with you!"

Fye's voice screeched as Kurogane began to run again, "It doesn't matter! I only have a fifty percent chance of living anyway!"

"Then you better make sure you're in that top fifty percent."

As he ran, Fye's objections and movements became slower and slower, until he completely stopped moving. He was still breathing, which gave Kurogane hope, but even that was starting to slow as the parking lot came into view.

A car-horn honked and Kamui's voice yelled, "Hurry up! You've got twenty seconds before I'm leaving!"

The back door to the car opened as Kurogane reached it, passing Fye off to be arranged in the seat by Sakura, and he pulled himself in and shut the door. "Go Kamui."

Kamui turned the key and put the car into gear, "I know that this is going to kill the engine, and I know Fye will kill me for wrecking his car later, but if they catch us before we get to the nearest gas station, we're in their territory and we're done for. Understood?"

Kurogane looked down at the unconscious Fye, he was sure the blond would agree that getting away from this place was more important than the quality of his car's engine, "Yes."

"Good, then hold on to something."


	14. Chapter 14

A/N: All right, so back to school! I'm sure everyone's excited...okay not really, but I like to keep optimistic about other people's feelings about school.

I'm sure you're all so very happy, this is the final chapter in the main story! Whoo! I actually knew when my story was going to end for once! After this is just an epilouge, although I'm not quite sure how long it's going to actually end up being. At first I thought it was going to be really long, because I was going to have tons and tons of stuff to say, but now...I'm not so sure.

I doubt I'm going to do anything more with this concept story-wise, but if I were, I know I would not do a sequel, but a prequel. Feel free to tell me how you feel about that.

As always; read, review, and enjoy.

* * *

Fye's eyes opened. It was white, very white. Everything around him was pristine and sterile. As real substantial thoughts began to come to his mind he realized he was in a hospital. It looked just like it did on T.V. He didn't like it, it reminded him too much of the room he had been in when he had first woken up as Number 685.

He pressed his hands against the crunchy mattress and tried to push himself up. Pain shot up his left arm and a small sound of pain escaped his lips. "I would not push my luck with that. Lie back down."

Fye breathed in deeply through his nose and slowly lowered himself back onto the uncomfortable mattress. "So, what are you doing here Kamui?"

"I'm on watch."

"Watch?"

"Yeah, Ashura was here watching until about an hour ago when Clow came and said that if he didn't sleep he'd collapse. Your pathetic excuse for a lover hasn't been here at all since they brought you in. That shows how much he loves you, doesn't it?"

"Hm, perhaps, but his coming all the way to the government and risking his own life shows it even more. Wouldn't you say?"

Fye heard Kamui click his tongue in annoyance, "Point taken."

"What about the children?"

"Them? I don't know. Everything got so jumbled after Kurogane screamed in my ear to come here that you're lucky I've been able to keep track of Ashura, and he's been here most of the time you have."

"How long have I been here?"

"A little over two days."

Fye frowned as he stared at the bleached white ceiling. "That's a long time to be asleep."

"Yeah well, luck like yours takes a long time to settle in, and let me tell you, you're lucky."

"I realize that. I mean, the chances of surviving what I did to myself were only..."

"Fifty-fifty. I guess Lady Luck really likes you."

Fye turned his head to look at Kamui, "Yeah, some days it's the nice Lady Luck and others it's the Lady Luck that drags you through the mud." Everyone had good luck and bad luck, but sometimes it seemed like he had the extreme of either one.

"I suppose they both come with the terri..." Kamui's words halted for a moment and he leaned forward, examining Fye's face. "Territory. Fye?"

"Yes?"

"Can you see out of both eyes?"

"Just fine, why?"

"Hold on," Kamui stood to his feet and went through a door, coming out a second later with a hand-mirror, "Look at your eyes, I didn't notice it before, but when you look straight at someone, it's almost creepily obvious." The teen held the mirror in front of Fye's face and as Fye stared into it he realized what Kamui meant. One eye was its normal blue, but the other remained the abnormal gold that only F.A.I. possessed.

"Weird, my computers are supposed to be gone."

"They are, that shot to your arm surprisingly didn't break a bone, but it sure as hell shut off your systems. Perhaps the single golden eye is a reminder? A remnant that would show up no matter what?"

"I don't know, but I do suppose I'll just have to get used to it."

"I suppose."

The door opened and a small head stuck its way into the room. A small squeal of excitement was heard and the girl Fye had named Sakura dashed into the room, "You're awake! Syaoran! Papa's awake!"

"He is?" The boy looked into the room as well, a ghost of a smile creeping along his lips. "He is. How do you feel?"

"Oh, fine, fine." Fye waved his good arm at the children, "But what do you mean "Papa"?"

"Papa as in Papa."

"When did this happen?"

"While you were asleep. Kurogane told us to call you that from now on."

"Where is Kuro-puppy? Is he here? I want to see him."

The children looked at each other and nodded their heads slightly, "He's in a room having the bandages on his shoulder changed. He said he would come by later."

"That's right...he did get shot. Is he okay?"

"Just a flesh wound. He wasn't even admitted to the hospital, they just took out the bullet and cleaned up the wound."

A warm smiled spread across Fye's face and he fully relaxed against his pillow, "I'm so glad. Will he be here after his bandages are changed?"

Syaoran shook his head, "No, he said he had things to do. Later he said."

"Pathetic excuse for a lover..."

"Shut it Kamui," even though the blond told him to be quiet, Fye's heart sunk. There were more important things to Kurogane than coming to see him. He didn't really need to see Kurogane much, just a minute or so would have been nice, a simple exchange of words. He did suppose that what he had put Kurogane through for the last little while was too much for anyone to bear. He probably needed to think on what he was going to do now. Fye couldn't blame the man for having second thoughts, if that was the case.

"I think I'm going to go back to sleep."

"Do you want us to sleep with you?"

Fye gifted Sakura with a small laugh, and placed his hand on her head, "No, the bed is too small. Play with Cousin Kamui while I'm asleep."

"And just why am I their cousin?!"

"Because. You're one of Ashura's children now, aren't you? Ashura is my uncle, and that makes you my cousin, thus making you their second cousin, but second cousin Kamui is just a little bit too long for a loving title..."

"That makes the most absurd sense in the world."

"Ah, but it does make sense."

"Just...go to sleep."

"You'll play with Cousin Sakura and Cousin Syaoran?"

The teen grit his teeth, "...Yes..."

"Good." Fye slid down in his sheets, pulling the sheets up to his nose. He didn't feel very good, and it wasn't his arm. He wanted to see Kurogane, but now he wasn't sure if Kurogane wanted to see him. Fye knew what Kurogane had said back when they were at Ashura's, he knew that Kurogane had risked himself to save Fye, but people's minds could easily change, he'd seen it happen time after time.

* * *

"Papa, keep your hands off the paper!"

"No way," Fye held the morning newspaper up out of Syaoran and Sakura's reach. "This is the first time I've really been out of that hospital bed in days. I want to know what's going on in the world."

"But can't you read the paper tomorrow?"

"No...what's the point of reading it tomorrow when I want to know what's happening today?" The blond leaned against the counter while the receptionist went to file his paperwork in the hospital's database.

"Can you at least skip the first page?" Sakura pulled against Fye's dusty, black jacket.

"Why?" As he always did, Fye placed his hand on Sakura's head in a loving fashion, "What's so bad about it?" One golden and one blue eye scanned down the page in question and his cheerful demeanor disappeared. "They're...public?"

"Publicly clearing out." Kamui pushed at Syaoran's head to make the boy move forward so he could stand next to Fye. "Apparently they lost Fei to some 'tragic accident' and they no longer have any motive or leadership to move forward. The other F.A.I. heard about it yesterday, they're all at the complex drinking their heads off."

"Not even Kyle would lead them? Kyle was..."

"Kyle was a loyal goon and a royal bastard. Wasn't he one of the people who abused you on a regular basis?"

"Yeah, but...his abuse wasn't quite the same...anyway, I always saw him at Fei's side, so I always assumed..."

"Kyle was loyal, and he admired Fei. It got him high up there, but in the end Kyle's a follower, he could never run that place like Fei did."

"Hm...I suppose. So, they were supposed to have disbanded years ago, why would they be publicly clearing out now?"

"If I had to guess, I would say it's because of you."

Fye blinked at turned his head toward Kamui, "Me?"

"You. Whatever you did, which I assume includes killing Fei, must have scared them. Not only that, but you destroyed your computers. No F.A.I., suicidal or not, has ever intentionally destroyed their computers own their own. To top it all off, you escaped, something not even I, who tried almost every day, could achieve. I'd say that sends pretty clear message. Them publicly doing this must ensure that the news gets to you somehow, and in a way, them disbanding is a white flag of surrender. You won."

"Really?" Fye wasn't sure that was it at all. The government was pretty complicated, could it really be that simple?

"I think so. I can't be sure, but by now I think I know how they work. At any rate, this means that we won't have to deal with them anymore."

"True, but I do have to buy that rental place a new motorcycle...we left theirs behind."

Kamui shrugged, "Shouldn't be much of a problem for someone who gets pay like yours."

"Not so sure. I have hospital bills, and two children to take care of so I have to move out of my apartment. There's a ton of things; although you are paying for my car bills."

"I know, I know. I wrecked your precious car. It was for a good cause."

"Yeah, still, you break it, you buy it. At least that'll be one expense off what I need to pay now..."

"I still wouldn't think you'd have any problems, considering your line of work. Even if you did, you have Kurogane."

"Not really. I don't think he's here anymore. He never came to visit me, and Sakura says his house was full of boxes when they visited." Fye looked at the ground, lowering the newspaper to his side. There was a pain in his stomach when he thought of Kurogane. His stomach knotted and moved around making him feel nauseous. It really seemed like Kurogane was going to leave him, just like that, without even a word.

Fye blamed himself, he should have never gotten Kurogane involved in his work after their meeting. It was his greatest mistake. He may have gotten answers, but he was losing his most precious person. Again.

"Whatever it is, you'll sort it out. You're you. You have a knack for that."

"Yeah." Fye turned around, setting the newspaper down and taking the papers that the receptionist had for him. "I suppose I'll keep living. Kamui, do me a favor? Go flag a cab? Sakura, Syaoran, and I need to get back to my apartment."

"Sure, but I want to borrow the kids before you take them."

"Where are you taking them?"

"The complex. I mentioned the children there, and they all want to meet them."

Fye glowered down at his old partner, "You said they're all drinking down there."

"Yeah, but they're not going to hurt them, and I won't let them drink. They're way too young. As am I. I promise I'll bring them back tonight, I'll even take Fuuma with me so I won't accidentally lose one. It'll give you a chance to set up your apartment for them."

Kamui's words were true enough. Fye's apartment was still a mess from the last time he had visited it, and it was most certainly not suitable for children. "Fine. Take them, but I want them home by six!"

Kamui gave the smallest of eye rolls, "Like you'll be home by then..."

"What was that?"

"Nothing. Come on you two," Kamui held his hands out to Syaoran and Sakura, "Let's go flag a cab for your Papa while he signs out."

The two children smiled and went along with 'Cousin Kamui' disappearing from the building while Fye stood at the counter and signed several papers, making sure to not hit his still bandaged arm.

When he was done he set the pen down, picked up the practically empty bag that held his belongings, and went outside. He found that there was no cab waiting, and Kamui, Syaoran, and Sakura were all gone. He sighed, supposing that he had made the cabbie wait too long and went toward the curb to flag down another.

A hand firmly gripped to his arm, "And just where do you think you're going?"

Fye's eyes widened. He knew that voice. It was a voice he hadn't heard since before he'd woken up in the hospital. "Kurogane?"

"Fye, what's wrong? Since the day you invented your nicknames for me, you've never called me by my full name unless you were angry with me..." Fingers reached out and gently stroked his cheek. Fye shook his head and looked to the person who held onto him, "You look like you're about to cry...are you sure you're okay?"

"Kurogane...you never visited me. Sakura says you're moving. What am I supposed to think? What am I supposed to say? What am I supposed to think?"

Kurogane sighed and wrapped his arm around the blond's waist, bringing him close, "You're supposed to say, 'it'll be okay'. You're supposed to think, 'he said he wouldn't leave me and I believe him'."

"I'm not so positive..."

Kurogane chuckled, "I've noticed. Oh, and before you can degrade yourself further for something I know you will, I think the mismatched eyes make you look more rugged. I like it." Kurogane grabbed to Fye's chin and pulled him up into a gentle kiss. "Now, since my not visiting and my house being prepared to move must make you wonder what I was doing..."

"Indeed, but I'm just glad I was wrong..."

"Well, why don't we just go and find out what I've been up to...and get you something to eat. I swear you've lost at least five pounds since I last saw you."

"Of course I have, high metabolism and hospital food don't mix."

"So, where should we stop?"

"Some fast food place."

Kurogane rolled his eyes as he began to pull Fai away from the side of the street and toward his car, "You get out of the hospital and all you want is some reheated hamburger."

"Kuro-sama, I've been in the hospital, it gives you practically nothing to eat, and what it does give you is so healthy even a health nut would puke. I want to eat something that will clog my arteries just by smelling it."

"Fine. You can have it your way, because today is your day." Kurogane opened the passenger side door and allowed Fye to slide in before he shut it again.

* * *

"We've been driving for a long time Kuro-chan..."

"Don't worry, we're almost there. Is this area at all familiar to you?"

Fye leaned against the window, his eyes gazing out at all of it and then he slowly nodded. "When I was in that building, I got some of my memories back. This is near the house that my parents lived in for that last holiday season."

"Wrong."

"Wrong?"

"Well..." Kurogane took one hand off the steering wheel and rubbed the back of his head, "You're not wrong, but you're not right. This is the area you and your brother grew up in. This is your hometown."

Fai frowned at his boyfriend as he leaned back in his seat. "What are we doing in my hometown?"

"You'll see." Kurogane turned down a street and the car glided along the road until he came to a sudden halt in front of the house Fai could vaguely remember from his memories. This was it. "It's really..."

"Yes."

"What are we doing here?!"

A tap on the glass jerked Fye away from looking at the house and looking out the window on Kurogane's side, "Uncle!" From the other side of the window Ashura smiled and nodded, motioning for Fye to get out of the car. Quickly Fye unbuckled his seatbelt, opened his door, and clambered out of the car, "Uncle, what are you doing here?"

"Well, I did say that next time you visited that I would show you everything that is yours. You haven't exactly visited, but Kurogane came and asked me if your family home was still yours." Ashura held out a set of keys and shook them so that they made a faint jingling noise. "It is still yours. You can do with it whatever you want. Keep it, sell it, trash it, I don't care, because I know that you'll do what you feel best."

"And the rest of it..."

"Is inside the house. I naturally could not keep everything that was supposed to be yours, relatives tend to be a tad greedy, but I kept everything I could, and I will now give it to you." Fye reached out to take the keys, but the man pulled them back, "In exchange for a hug from my beloved nephew Yuui."

Fye shook his head slightly and then came forward hugging his uncle. "I must have made you worry, huh?"

The elder man laughed a little as he returned the hug he had asked for, "It took Clow, Fuuma, and Sorata to pull me away from your bedside. You are very loved by both the living and deceased."

As the two pulled away Ashura dropped the keys into Fye's hands and patted his shoulder. "I have to go now, but you must call soon, okay?"

"Perfect. I'll see you soon Uncle." A heartwarming smile spread over Ashura's face as he nodded and walked away to his own car. As he drove off Kurogane finally opened his door and pulled himself out of his own vehicle.

"So what do you think?"

"What am I supposed to think about what?"

"Do you want to live here?"

Fye frowned, twirling the keys in his fingers, "Why?"

Kurogane shrugged slightly, "My house is too small for four people, and if my house is too small, your apartment is way too small. You seemed to grow up very well here, I thought it would be a good place to bring those kids."

"What about your job? This is really far away from where you work."

"Doctors can adjust to any working area. This is near another city, I'll find something."

Fye frowned even more and stared at his keys, "So, you really want to do this..."

"Only if you want to."

Fye sighed, "Why don't we check out the inside?" The blond turned to go to the front door but Kurogane's hand on his shoulder stopped him.

"Wait."

"Hmm?" Fye gazed over his shoulder, "What's wrong?"

"There's something I want to ask you...before we keep going."

"Okay." Fye turned around and looked directly up at Kurogane's eyes. They were worried, almost sad. Fye couldn't help but wonder what in this or any other world would give Kurogane such a gaze. "Shoot."

"These last few days, even though I didn't visit you like I should have, I've been thinking about you a lot. I thought about how much...I love you. I thought about how much I loved Yuui, I realize, I could have moved on if Yuui left...I **did** move on after Yuui left, and while I thought of him often, I was okay. I wasn't okay with you leaving. I don't think I could have gone on. I was willing to give up my life when I went to get you. I can't...even bear the thought of not having you anymore..."

Fye made a sour face and tilted his head to one side. What was Kurogane getting at? "I love you too Kuro-pup."

"Do you really?"

"Yes. More than anything. Do you want me to prove it?"

"I guess in a way that's what I'm going to ask."

"All right, I'll do anything." Fye smiled sweetly, reaching up with one hand and touched Kurogane's cheek. "Really. I'll do anything."

Kurogane took Fye's hand from his face and pressed a small object into it. As Fye opened his hand to look at the object his eyes widened. It was a small black box...a box just the right size to hold a ring. Fye's eyes rushed up to Kurogane's face, then the words came, "Will you marry me?"

Fye didn't open the box. Slowly, as if he didn't even know it was happening, the box slipped from his hand. As it hit the ground Fye lunged forward, wrapping his arms tightly around Kurogane's neck and his lips firmly kissing the taller mans lips.

As he pulled away a single word was breathed out, "Yes."


	15. Chapter 15

A/N: I win! I finished! Finally! The story is complete! Hehehee. Okay, so now I just have to finish that next chapter in Ceres that I'm only like...halfway through. I hope that by the time I actually post this I'll be far more than halfway through, but while I type, it's halfway done.

Moving on, this is a prolouge, take note that it takes place several months after the last chapter of the main story. So...I just hope you like it. I hope you think it's cute, because that is what I was going for.

Read, review, enjoy.

* * *

The sound of a door opening filled the room for a brief second before it was replaced with the soft pitter-pat sound of feet as they stepped across the floor. A pair of hands pulled at the heavy covers that almost completely hid a man's sleeping body. Sakura Valeria smiled as her papa tried to pull the covers back over his head. "Papa, it's three in the afternoon."

The blond man groaned and just pulled the blankets closer, "I'm tired."

"I would be too if I stayed up all night. Come on Papa, you've been asleep for at least nine hours. Wake up."

Fye opened one eye, the blue one, and yawned. "Do I have to?"

Sakura laughed at her papa's whining tone, "Yes you have to!"

"Do I really? Or can I bribe you?"

"Hmm," Sakura rolled her eyes to the ceiling in thought. After a moment she leaned forward and gave Fye a sly look. "What are you going to try and bribe me with?"

Fye clicked his tongue once and then pulled the blankets back. His hand patted the space next to him gently and slowly.

Sakura's face lit up and she squealed with joy as she jumped into bed next to her papa, "Yay!"

"Not so loud, Sakura..." Fye whispered out as he pulled the covers over them both and wrapped his arms around his daughter's shoulders.

For a couple minutes the _teehee _of Sakura's poorly contained joy filled the air, but then it died away as Fye's breathing evened out. There was silence.

Just as Sakura's eyes began to close the bedroom door burst open again and a boy stormed into the room, "Sakura! I told you to wake him up! Not to go to sleep just like him!"

"But he's so warm..."

"Sakura! He has to go to school!"

Fye's eyes snapped open. "I do?"

Sakura nodded into Fye's chest, "Syaoran got in trouble."

"I'll say he did." Fye looked over his shoulder at his adoptive son. "What did you do?"

Syaoran made a huffing sound and looked away, "I punched a kid in my class."

"What have I told you about acting normal?"

"I did! I didn't put any power behind it. Seriously, Papa, can we just go to school and get this over with?"

Fye sighed and pulled the blankets off of them, "Fine, let's go." Fye carefully crawled over Sakura's body and sat on the edge of his and Kurogane's bed. He fumbled with his shoes and clumsily tied the laces on them before he stood to his feet and began to rush out the door.

"Papa," Sakura began as she sat up. "Your hair is messy."

Fye flinched and sighed, "I was trying to ignore that..." The man slinked over to his dresser and picked up two items a cell phone and a comb. As Fye ran the comb through the tangled strands of his hair Fye dialed a number and held the phone up to his ear.

There was a long pause before, "Kuro-sama?... Yes, it's me...we have a bit of a predicament. Syaoran's gone and gotten himself into trouble...Yes, the three of us are heading to school now. We won't be home when you arrive."

Fye switched the phone to the other side of his head as he continued his merciless attack on his hair. "I suppose you could, but what's the point?...No, I suppose I won't have time to cook...You know it's not a good idea for the kids to eat out as often as we used to."

After a long minute of silence Fye nodded into the phone, "All right, we'll meet you there." Slowly a huge grin spread across his face. "I love you too. Bye."

The cell phone snapped shut and the blond man turned to the two younger people. "All right, out to the car. Your dad will be meeting us outside the school and we'll be going to dinner."

"But that's like a reward," Sakura complained as she stood up and walked next to Syaoran. "You always said that there are consequences to our actions!"

"There are, trust me, Syaoran will be getting his punishment, but with this I won't have time to cook, and then what are we going to do for dinner?"

Sakura seemed to give this a lot of thought before she answered. "I suppose that's true..."

Fye smiled and motioned toward the doorway, "Then let us be on our way."

"But Papa..."

"Yes?"

Sakura giggled and pointed at the blond's chest and slowly pointed at the rest of his clothes, "Aside from your hair, you look really disheveled."

Fye sighed and put a hand to his forehead, "I know, please don't remind me...I don't have time to change, and it's better for me to not think about how horrible my current state is." Fye pointed to Syaoran in a seemingly angry manner. "You are so lucky I love you so much, or I wouldn't even dream of leaving the house like this!"

* * *

"You're grounded for five hours...and no candy for a week." Fye said wearily as he came from the teacher's room and sat himself in-between Syaoran and Sakura. "And I may repeal the candy rule after a day or two."

"Why such a light punishment?" Both Sakura and Syaoran asked. Their voices mixed together perfectly as if they had rehearsed that response the entire time they had waited for Fye to come out.

"Simple, I agree with what you did, even though it was a bad reaction. It's not a good idea to punch someone because they tell you that you have the most horrible parents in the world because they're both men." Fye gave a soft chuckle as he slowly closed his eyes and tilted his head toward the ceiling. "Although it probably felt really good to do that."

"It sure did."

"Still, don't do it again. It doesn't reflect well on the parents you're trying to defend. Do you understand?" Fye opened his golden eye and placed his hand on top of Syaoran's head.

"Yeah, I just got so angry at him for assuming that Sakura and I had a bad life just because of that. It's something I don't even think about aside from the fact I know you and Daddy love each other very much."

Sakura pulled on Fye's sleeve very lightly. "Speaking of Daddy, I think he's outside waiting for us."

"Really?" Fye leaned forward, and then a huge grin graced his features, "So he is. Syaoran, you go ride with Daddy, tell him where you want to go for dinner, and Sakura and I will follow you in my car. Okay?"

Syaoran nodded and instantly sprung to his feet, running out to the car.

* * *

"Now," Fye began as he made sure there was no lint on his clothes, that his shoes were tied perfectly, and that no hair on his head was out of place. "You two are sure you can take care of our children while we're gone?" As soon as Fye was certain that there was nothing out of place on him, he turned to Kurogane and preformed the same checks on him.

Grudgingly

Kurogane allowed his soon-to-be-spouse to do this.

Fuuma laughed slightly and looked over his shoulder at Kamui, Syaoran, and Sakura. The boy and girl were pulling at and speaking happily to the young man who simply stood there and took it, although the expression Kamui bore said he was going to snap at any moment. "The two kids will be no problem, they're little sweethearts when they settle down, it's Kamui I'm worried about. After a long day of school and Ashura scolding him about the test he failed, I think I may have to watch him more than them."

"Watch it Fuuma, or you're going to end up watching your head fly."

"Scary." Fuuma whispered sarcastically.

"Fuuma..."

"Aheh, you two better go. Trust me, if anything bad happens we'll call Ashura, he's only a ten minutes drive away and he really knows how to handle kids, and you don't have to worry about the other kids there, because Clow practically never leaves the house. Now go on!"

"You heard him Fye. Let's go." Kurogane grabbed onto Fye's arm and pulled him toward the door. Fye said goodbye to all of them, even Kamui, whom he even dared to reach out to and ruffle the boy's hair.

They both walked down to Kurogane's black Honda and as Fye shut the door he asked, "Where exactly are we going tonight?" The blond made a low whistling noise as the car's engine started up. Fye couldn't really think of a reason why they'd be going out tonight. It wasn't a special occasion as far as he knew. The only thing he could think of was that Kurogane wanted to take him somewhere quiet to make their wedding plans.

Wedding plans... Fye's eyes drifted down to the sapphire ring man's ring on the proper ring finger. It didn't look anything like the usual engagement ring, but then again Fye didn't think Kurogane had meant for it to. A small smile crept over his lips as he looked at the object that showed Kurogane's lasting devotion.

The car began to move, "To dinner and then we're going to find the park."

"Just a date?"

"Tomorrow's your birthday. Ashura will surely come and take you away tomorrow, so I want my alone time with you now."

"Really?" Fye paused to ponder. "My birthday's tomorrow?"

"Yes, and you would know that if you had listened to me any of the five times I told you."

"Oops..."

Kurogane shook his head very slightly as he drove, "It's okay. For you to be preoccupied isn't uncommon. We're still getting used to this area."

"I guess..." Fye gazed out the passenger side window, looking at all the houses go by. This scenery was much different than the city Fye had become accustomed to. The buildings weren't as big or close together, there weren't as many stores, and instead of the occasional house versus a multitude of apartment complexes, there were many houses and very few apartment buildings.

What bothered Fye the most was the space. There was so much empty space. Fye loved nature and parks, and just walking in the silence, but to have that all around him constantly went against the way he used to live. Assassins didn't want large open spaces with very few places to hide. Silence made it easier to be heard, and being caught was the sign of a bad assassin. Even though he was no longer in that profession it was habit to want such things for the security that had used to give him. He was sure that Sakura and Syaoran felt the same way to an extent.

"So, where are we going Kuro-pup?"

"Toward the city."

Fye blinked in surprise, "Really?"

"Yes. We're going to have coffee and then talk a nice long walk down the street. Listen to all the cars, and then we'll go to the park. It may not have a fountain like the one we used to go to, but at least it'll be a little bit like old times."

Fye grinned very happily, "That sounds nice."

"I hope so, I planned it just for you."

There was a long pause, "Pull over."

"What?"

"Pull over," Fye repeated. Slowly and reluctantly Kurogane obeyed. The instant the car was no longer in motion Fye unbuckled and leaned forward and up to momentarily kiss Kurogane's lips. "I don't do that enough..." Fye's grin grew wide on his lips as he went to buckle back up. "You always think so kindly of me...I'll have to repay you someday...somehow."

Kurogane sighed and shook his head as he began to drive again. "Love isn't about giving and getting. It's about giving and not expecting anything in return. You give a lot more than you think."

Both Fye's blue and gold eye watched the streetlights begin to turn on as the car sped past them. "Maybe, but that's only part of it. Love is about giving your all to someone...or someones, and not expecting anything in return, but watching that person change because of that love, and then giving it to other people. Whether other people includes you, or their family. Love is about loving and making sure it doesn't stop there."

"I can understand that point of view...where did you learn that?"

Fye chuckled, "From you."


End file.
